St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-08-17
Fruit in Summer.


lfTom the BRUSH Medical journal
Lightness is the first essential alike in
the food and drink taken in warm
weather. There is then less work to
be done, less waste of tissue, less need
of the pre- -eminently muscle forming
and heat-producing substances, meat
af.G aiVili and fruit. as being both
palatable and easily obtainable, is
much in use. Its advantages are that it
provides Il seasonahle change of diet.
| light and wholesome if well chosen,
and palatable tonic and stimulant of
digestion with aperient properties.
| lhere are few who cannot enjoy it in
one form or another. For diabetes.
the only least desirable, as certain nuts
and almonds, are available, all others.
aS containing sugar, being forbidden.
Sufferers from acid dyspepsia must Sc
lect carefully and limit their consump-
ton to the least irritating-a few
Strawberries or il few grapes. Diarrhea
and dySentery preclude the use of all
fruit. On the other hand, for conSti-
pated persons it is sometimes the only
reliable remedy which they can use
continuously with comfort it is also
of benefit in renal diseases, by its ac-
tiOn on the bowel. Atomic persons
generally take it well, and feel the bet
ter for its digestive property. Those
in normal health may eat almost any
ripe fruit. The bland varieties are
the most wholesome and nutritious
Strawberries, apples, pears, grapes. and
goOseberTies. The last named, howev-
er, with currants and raspberries. are
less wholesome than the others. Stone
fruits are apt to disagree with the
stomach but the more waterv. as
peaches and large plums, are better
than the smaller and dricr. as apricots
and damsons. The pulp of oranges
renders them heavy. Among other
foreign fruits, bananas are wholesome.
Dried fruits, and the skins of fruits in
general are indigestible. Nuts, the
edible part of which is really the seed.
contains much albumen and some fat
in a condensed form, and are particu-
larlY difficult of digestion.
Fruit may be taken with a meal or
on an empty stomach. In the former
case it promotes digestion by its gent
ly irritating effect on the mucous
membrane of the stomach and intes-
tine. If an apcrient effect he desired
u iitl'l bNlltl bt llhtll Ill lIlt morning
hnfnra hrnaE f.l IT ar hatyrnan meals A
is best for both of these purposes,
while it is also IA food. The quantity
of fruit which should be taken de
pcnds on TIE kind. If it belong to the
bland nutritious class, Il healthy per
son may now and then partake of it us
of any other wholesome food but he
will gain most benefit if he take only
t.,I- V.,rttlu,.l, 'I'hA
same may he said of the invalid with
whom fruit agrees. Cooking removes
much of the acidity from crude fruit
and renders it lighter rs well rs more
palatable. SO treated, it is productive
of good and no harm but it is Il fun
damcntal principle that whatever fruit
| is eaten uncookcd must he fully ripe,
and not overripe. This may sound
trite, and, indeed, the principle is com
monty admitted; but not, it would
seem, by all, for we still find people,
and not few, who will themselves
deliberately take, and worse, will give
to their children, green gooscberrieS,
green apples, etc, the very hardness of
which. apart from their acid pungcncy,
suggest the unlitncsS for digestion.
Such people use as food an acid irri-
| tant poison, whose necessary action Is
to cause excessive intestinal secretion.
with more or less of inflammation
Hence arises diarrhea. On the other
hand, fruit which is ovcrripe, i'll which
fermentation has begun, is Il frequent
cause of this disorder and equally to
he avoided, and perhaps also more
difficult to avoid becausc the msidions
beginning of decay is not easily rccog