The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-04-14
VOL. XVIII.-NO. 20.

the mouth by three pairs of glands to the
extent of some twenty ounces day. 1t
consists in great part of water, with little
salt and a peculiar substance called ptya-
line, which possesses the property Of chang
ing starch into sugar, the change being
accomplished most completely when the
starch is dissolved or baked, and at tenn
perature of about ninety eight degrees Fab
renheit, the normal temperate ) of the
body. Although this ptyaline is present
in the saliva to the extent of only one part
in five hundred, yet, on its presence and
action, the heat, and consequently the life
of the body, is largely dependent; hence
the Importance of avoiding any unnecessary
waste of it, such as frequently and unne-
cessarily accompanies smoking. Hence,
likewise, we see the importance of chewing
the food slowly and thoroughly, that it may
be all brought under the influence of the
ptyaline; and thus we can understand how
indigestion or dyspepsia may be caused by
hasty chewing or by excessive splitting, the
starchy portion of the food in either case
lying in the stomach as an undissolved mass.
Bread-making, We have already stated,
is form of cooking. The heat of the
oven has converted the outside of the bread
into sugar, and the starch in the inside has
in fact been boiled in the steam of the wa
ter which the dough contained, 50 that it
has become capable of being readily con-
verted into sugar. The porous nature of
the bread favors this conversion; for the
saliva easily penetrates through the whole
of the spongy mass, and the change is still
| further assisted by the water which the
bread contains to the extent of some forty
per cent Biscuits, on the other hand, be-
ing as rule dry and non-spongy, are less
suitable for ordinary use, although contain
ing in the same weight far more food ma
terial than bread.
| 1t may surprise some of our readers to
be told that the starch of bread has not the
slightest nutritive property. Its sole Office
is heat producer; and just like the coal of
the engine, the starch or sugar is burnt up
inside of us to keep up the temperature of
the machine 1t is the gluten the sticky,
tenacious matter in the grain, which is the
nutritive, fesh-forming material; but in the
present article we have no space to follow
the changes which it undergoes in the sys-
TEN, for we are simply treating of starch at
present, and we trust we have made it clear
how it is changed into sugar, and thus
made soluble and fit for absorption into the
juices which keep the body at a uniform
temperature and in good repair.
1t is common but mistaken notion that
sago and tapioca are very nutritious On
the contrary, they consist almost wholly of
starch, with only about three per cent Of
gluten, SO that, unless cooked with milk or
eggs, they form very insufficient food.
The same is the case with Indian corn flour
and arrowroot, which have scarcely par
ticle of nutritious matter in them. so that
it is great mistake to feed an invalid or
child on such materials. They are no
doubt useful, as easily digested heat-pro-
ducers; but they must be cooked with milk
or eggs before they are of much use for
actual nutriment; and many child has
been starved to death through its parents
ignorance of this fact 1t is true, medical
men often recommend arrowroot for those
in delicate health, as it is of great import
ance to keep up the natural heat of the
body with the least exertion Of the diges-
tive organs but it cannot be too widely
known that arrowrOot pure and simple Is
mere heat producer; and milk, beef tea,
soup, OF other suitable fesh-forming food
must be given with it, if the child or in
valid is to be kept alive. On the other
hand, semolina, hominy, lentilmeal, pea
-four, ETC., not being prepared by washing,
contain much greater amount of flesh
forming material than sago, arrowroot, etc.
The starches are largely used in several
important manufactures. Dextrin or Brit
ish gum is prepared by heating starch to a
temperature of about four hundred degrees
Fahrenheit, and is preferred to gum-arabic
because it is not so liable to crack or curl
up the stamps or other paper prepared with
it. Immense quantities of starch are used,
too, in the manufacture of glucose or grape
sugar, which has exactly the same compo-
sition as starch, and is prepared by acting
on the starch with sulphuric acid, (oil of
vitriol,) which has the same effect as the
ptyaline of the saliva Linen rags are
largely used for the same purpose too; and,
indeed, it is wonderful how few things are
altogether useless at the present day. Old
boots and horns provide some of our most
brilliant colors, while dye colors innumer-
able are made from the refuse of our gas
works, and the wash-heaps of our factories
are proving mines of wealth, instead of
mounds of rubbish.