Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-09-14
ADVICE ABOUT EATING.
Eminent Physicians smashing Some Old.
Time Superstitions.


Some recent remarks by James C.
White, professor of dermatology in
Harvard University, are directly in line
with an article published only u few
days ago on the subject of sensible eat
ing. There is, of course, no subject
concerning which people need informa-
ton more than they do about eating,
which more ridiculous notions are ex-
tant. Zone mans meat is another
man poison" is an old and true say
ing. yet great majority of mankind
have ideas of diet that are formed from
the experience of other people, and
these ideas are very commonly absurd.
DR.. White disposes of some of these
notions, by the authoritative utterance
of II thorough scientist. F)r example.
he touches on the old wives fable that
butter in liberal quantities will cause
children faces to break out with ''but-
ter sores" He declares, what inteli-
gent people have long known. that good
butter uncooked is perfectly harmless
food so far as the skin is concerned.
and he might save gone much farther,
for the limitation was unnecessary.
He says, however, that the notion al
luded to probably came from the fact
that the use of impure butter in food
otherwise indigestible. may have dis
turbed the stomach and produced i'm
pure blood in some cases. 1t is more
likely to have come from the efforts of
pal ents of limited means to curb their
children's indulgence in an expensive
dainty. 1t is certain that much of the
prejudice against candy came from
this particular cause, though with can
dy MS with butter, the prejudice is en-
tirely justfiablc in reference to adult
terated and impure grades. Nothing
is more common than to hear paren Is
tell their children that eating candy
will ruin their teeth, but it is most
likely to be an utterance dict ted by
economy. At all events. no educated
dentist will endorse the statement.
The notion that buckwheat cakes and
oatmeal are productive of skin diseases
is also attacked. and pretty thoroughly
demolished by Prof White. as well as
that absurdity about tomatoes. which
was started by DO Lewis a generation
or so ago. He said that tomatoes were
productive of cancer and that they
loosened and destroyed the teeth. Dr.
White declares tomatoes and oatmeal
to be harmless and valuable foods. and
points at the simple fact that the only
danger in eating buckwheat lies in the
fact that it is apt to be served up hot in
the form of improperly cooked cakes
These may. and are very likely to up
set the digestion. He declares, more
over. that good digestion and a
healthy appetite will take care Of the
skin, so far, as the effects of food are
concerned. and that it matters little
what kind of food is used so long as it
is pure, of good quality and properly
prepared. The healthy stomach will
turn it into good blood. This, it will
be seen. is n similar utterance to that
of DR.. Austin Flint recently quoted,
only that DIR. White. treating as he did
on the skin only, did not make so
sweeping statement us Dr. Flint. who
said: Eat what you like, when you
like. and eat as much as you like. You
may get govt that way, but not dys-
| pepsia. IN y Mail and EGpreSs.