Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-05-27
FOOD FOR NERVES"
PARAGRAPHS FROM THE LETTER OF
A NOTED PHYSICIAN.
yictuals and Drink Which Nervous" Peo-
pie Would Do Well to Let Alone
Animal Food Recommended
Fish, Flesh, Fowl.

lDr. VIM. 4. Hammond in Youths Compartment
First Of all, the nervous person must have
his stomach put in order. He might just as
well try to run a steam engine without fuel
as to conduct his body through life with .
stomach incapable Of digesting food For
food stands in the same relation to the body
that fuel does to the steam engine. The next
question which naturally suggests itself is:
What proportion should exist between ami
NAL and vegetable food in a dietary for the
nervous.
In every person, unless there is some
very special reason due to idiosyncrasy or
disease, the existence Of which, however,
must be extremely rare, animal food should
be in excess of that derived directly from
the vegetable kingdom. In nervous
persons the proportion should be still
greater Indeed, / am not quite sure that
it would not be better to exclude, with the
exception of bread in some form or other
and perhaps certain kinds of fruits, all vege-
tables from the dietary of nervous people
The two principal reasons for this opinion
are: First, the comparatively easy digesti
bility Of animal food. OF course all the It's
sues of animals are primarily derived from
the vegetable kingdom of nature. Carniv-
orous animals eat the flesh and blood and
bones of the herbivora, which are formed
from grass, grain and other vegetable sub
stances; but the task put upon the digestive
organs of the former is much less severe
than that imposed upon those of the vege-
BILE feeders.
Second, animal food is more nutritious to
the nervous system and to the body gener-
ally than that derived from the vegetable
kingdom. As we ordinarily meet with it, it
consists Of nitrogenous matter, in union with
certain mineral substances and with fat. We
have therefore in it all the essential ele-
ments for the formation of the tissues Of tho
body. as well as those for the maintenance
Of the animal heat, and on it alone 1t Is
perfectly possible for man in any climate to
exist, and to continue in a normal condition
In cold climates the principal part of his
sustenance is derived from this source, and
indeed in polar regions vegetable food Is
never ingested by the inhabitants.
The next point to be insisted upon in a
dietary for nervous persons, is that it should
contain more than usually large porpor-
ton of fat. The form in which this should
be employed may generally safely be left to
individual preference. Generally, perhaps,
if is best taken as cream or butter, but the
fat parts of beef or mutton are very well
with most persons Many nervous people
appear TO have an instructive craving for
fat, and have known many a one to eat as
much as half pound of butter a day.
besides drinking tumbler Of rich cream at
breakfast The nervous system consist
largely Of fat, and this substance must be
supplied in some form or other, in order
that the brain and other nerve structures
shall be properly nourished.
But it is possible to get all tie fat required
without taking a single atom of it into the
stomach. The digestive organs convert
sugar AMI starch into fat, but in nervous
persons in whom as l have said, these or
gans ara weak, it is generally preferable to
get the fat require ready formed, from
the animal kingdom, than to compel the en-
feebled stomach, intestines and pancreas to
make it out of starch and sugar.
Nervous persons require ordinarily a
larger quantity of water than those whose
brains and nerves are strong. Water not
only enters into the composition Of every
tissue of the body, hut it aids in the digestion
of the food by helping to render it
soluble. Moreover, it seems often to have
a directly tonic effect \ quart or two of
water, not toe cold-and certainly not hot,
for nothing can be more relaxing to the
stomach than hot waterway be drank in
twenty-four hours. and in warm weather
double this quantity will be borne.
Now As regards special articles of diet for
the nervous person Milk comes first Il is
easily digestei and is nutritious Ii is some
times expcl lent 10 contine nervous patients
to diet consisting of nothing but milk, and
when | say nothing" | mean all that the
word implies
Eggs come next in point Of general avail
ability. They are nutritious and of easy
of nu:riment in minimum OF bulk, AMI
hence they are especially indicated for those
invalids in whom 1t is not advisable to load
the stomach with much food Raw egg.
contrary to the generally received opinion,
are not so digestible as those in which tho
albumen has been coagulated by heat
As regards the various kinds of flesh, fish
and fowl
SO far as the nervous person is concerned.
there is very little difference in the adapta-
bility of beef, mutton, venison, or of the
flesh OF the several birds used as food. Beef
may, however. lie taken as the standard
When not cooked too much. and when suiti-
GENTLY tender, It answers every purpose of
the system. Veal is not SO easily digested,
and the same may lie said of pork, except
the sucking pig. which Is not only pleasant
to the taste, but which is also easily and
promptly acted upon by the digestive juices
Salt meat is not adopted To the require
ments OF the nervous person. Ths nutritious
juices have to.a great extent gone into the
brine in which it has been soaked Never
theless. piece of good ham has an indirect
value, in that it often serves As an appetizer,
and, hence, an excitant of the desire of
other food
Fish Of all kinds used as food, oysters.
shrimps, crabs, HOLSTERS, are good for ner-
vous invalids. All sea animals as well as
eggs contain a large proportion Of phos-
phoruS, substance that the ner-
vous system must have Oysters are
more suitable when eaten raw than
when cooked, but when roasted or stewei
are almost equally beneficial, and TO some
persons are more palatabie
As regards vegetables, | am disposed to
exclude them with the exception of
certain grains used for making bread. and
a few fruits in their season. from the diet
airy of the nervous person. OF the cereals,
oats are far preferable To any other. and the
finer they are ground the better
As to tea, coffee. chocolate AMI all spiritu-
Gus. vinous or fermented liquors. thew form
a law unto themselve, it being impossible
10 lay down any general rule on the subject
IL may, however, lie said that sp,rituous |
liquors, such as whisky. brandy, rum, gin,
are never proper for nervous people