Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-07-11
Salt as an Article Of Diet.

From Popular Science Monthly.
No one will question that chloride of sodium
SALT is capable OF doing serious harm ii taken
In any but small quantities. 1t is a mineral
substance, an antiseptic, and, to some extent, a
disinfectant, which indicates its antagonism to
living things. A larger dose than that to which
person is accustomed produces great thirst
ana other discomfortS. A still larger dose pro-
duces great nausea and vomiting. The con-
tinued use of large quantities produces one OF
the most serious diseases due to dietetic errors,
viz, Scurvy.
The popular belief that an appetite for salt is
universal among lower animals is without fOun-
dation in fact. a certain class only, and that a
very small class when compared with all other
classes of the animal Kingdom, evinces any
special fondness for salt. Dogs, eats and other
carnlVorous or flesh eating animals, show no
fondness Tor salt. The same is true OF all classes
of frugivorous animals. OF which the monkey is
representative, and i'll natural habits and con-
stitutiOn the nearest approach to man to be
found in the Whole animal world. Even herbiv-
orOuS animals do not take salt daily with their
1oOd as do human beings. but only at intervals,
perhaps but few times year, or at certain
seasons seasons only, which suggest the thought that
possibly they take it as a medicine rather
its occasional use is said to Prevent
certain intestinal parasites to which these ami
mails are subject. That salt is not essential to
the health, even of herbivOrouS animals, is evil
denced by the fact that in certain parts Of the
world, where salt Is utterly unknown as a
natural product, antelope of all kinds abound
in countless numbers. This is the case in Cen
tral Africa and IN other parts of the world:
and 1t is asserted by travellers that in South
Africa-even where salt occurs in abundance
naturally-the various classes OF antelope
show no fOndneSs for ii. We know of many
Instance in which tlOclis OF sheep and herds
OF cattle have been successfully reared with
out salt.
1t is a well known fact that in certain parts
of the world salt is even more scarce than
gold. In certain parts of central Africa,
to say that certain man eats salt is eouiva-
lent TO saying that he is very rich. Yet these
people have existed for all ages, and have en-
joyed the very best of barbarous health with
out taste of salt from infancy to old age. We
have also been informed on credi1able author
1ty that in Siberia salt is not in a COM
mon constituent of food; and the true
of numerous North American Indian tribes at
the time OF the discovery of this continent and
Pampas Indians of South America. In ancient
as well as modern times there were non-salt-
eating people, we learn from Homer. who,
In the odyssey, refers to a nation which ate no
SAT- we are confident that chloride of
sodium was never intended to be eaten
grounds, 1t would be just as reasonable to add
to our food quantities of phosphate OF lime, pow
dered chalk, silica, magnesia, chloride of potash
and other salts which found in the body as
to add to common salt. Indeed, the elements
mentioned, or the most of them at least are
found in the body in much larger quantities
than Is common salt. IT Is not questioned that
In an organized form, that in which it occurs in
almost all our foods, salt is useIul in the body:
but II Is certainly reasonable to suppose that
the same wise Creator who knew just how much
OF phOsphates and carbOnates and other eie-
ments to put into our food, should have also
known precisely how much chloride of sodium
was best for us, and that the admiXture OF this
one necessary ingredient was not left for the
haphazard and uncertain judgment OF man.