Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-12-25
HOW TO EAT.

on by the manner in which the food is
dealt with from the time it leaves the
fork to the time it falls into the
stomach. There is very important
link here in the process of digestion
and furthermore this stage of the
digestive process is wholly under our
control, while the remainder of the
process is done almost unconsciously.
Let US follow morsel of food from
the fork, onward, little way. 1t is
taken into the mouth, dry and unbrok-
en-. It must be masticated and why
The first thought would be, because
that is evidently what the teeth are
made for, but deeper and more i'm
portant reason is, that, in this process
of chewing there is Incorporated most
intimately into the mass, the saliva or
Juices Of the mouth. Let me describe
the sources of this saliva; there are
3 pair of glands that supply it. One
pair in front and below the ears, (when
they are infamed we call it the
mumps,) then there is a pair just
below the angle of the jaw and one
more pair under the tongue. All
these glands are imbeded between
muscular bands so that when the
muscles are used, the contents Of the
glands are squeezed out into the mouth
and here we sec still another reason
for chewing we'll our food; not only to
divide the food finely and work into it
the saliva, but to press the saliva out
of the glands into the mouth, as well.
/ believe the taste of food calls for
saliva; for example, when the parotid
glands are infamed and swollen as in
mumps, taste of vinegar will strike
lancenating pain through them, (this
is domestic test for mumps) and
shows that the taste of vinegar calls
for activity of that gland.
Now, to return, our morsel has been
thoroughly masticated and incorporat-
ed with saliva and can no longer be
retained in the mouth, but slips easily
down the throat. Surprising one was
in great hurry while eating, and not
able by two or three motions of the
jaw to prepare the bolus of food so it
would slip down easily and should take
a drink Of water or tea and thus lub-
ricate the mass so it would facilitate
the swallowing. Would he by replac-
ing the chewing and the saliva, with
the fluid, lose an important item for
digestion | think [ can prove that
he would and right here lies the main
point to be enforced. Saliva is an
essential juice and helps digestion and
if food is curtailed in the supply Of
this and hurried on to the stomach it
is poorly prepared for the process that
it is there subjected to and thrusts
upon the stomach the duty which it is
not able to perform for the gastric
juice can no more act upon food just
as saliva does, than one organ can act
perfectly for another organ, as for
instance; to smell with the tongue or
taste with the nose.
Some doubt that saliva has any
more power than a lubricant. Just
read what the authorities say upon the
subject: The following from our
physiology, 1.-The saliva of man posses
ses the power of converting starch
into sugar. and from recent expert
ments detailed in the London Lancet,
| quote: s'One thousandth of gramme
(15! grains) of the matter adherent
to the free border Of gums of healthy
man, after being frequently washed
with a weak solution of creasote, acts
powerfully on starch paste'
So if we replace this digestive fer
ment by liquid drinks or slight it by
swallowing our food SO rapidly that it
almost chokes us; see what valuable
factor we deprive ourselves of, and we
can easily imagine how distress may
follow such a non-use of this provision
of nature.
La this connection let me speak of
the bad habit of drinking while we
eat; especially slipping, You have a
morsel Of food in your mouth, it is
dry, but if you chew long enough it