The National tribune., 1890-09-11
WEALTH HINTS
For Old and Young.
BY FELIX T.. OSWALD. ". D..
CHATTER LXXXH.

CHAPTER LXXXI
SUMMER -(continued).
Too much of a good thing" according 10
Artemus Ward, was the explanation of Fiji
Islander who had eaten the whole hindquarter
Of virtuous missionary and was suffering from
the consequent Indigestion.
The Same excuse is q fayorito plea of many
sanitary sinners who lament the fact that
81 there is poison in everything" and that "ex-
cess Is SO hard TO avoid" like n certain cham
pion of the liquor traffic, who adds that people
who cannot practice moderation may eat them
selves to death even on ice-cream, as We see by
frequent reports Of the newspapers"
a much safer rule is the maxim to regulate
the quality and let the quantity take care of
itself" People are not apt TO " eat themselves
10 death on milk aud bread, nor even on
ppledumpiiugs, and the truth about the
alleged newspaper report Is the fact that ice
cream, in u certain condition. may become
deadly, even in very moderate quantities. Three
weeks ago a party of picnickers from Jersey
City were taken sIck within few hours after
the return of the excursion boat. and ascribed
their trouble at first to the state of the weather.
which had been oppressvely hot all day. Be
fore night most OF them were seized with cramps
and retchiug. fits that became more and more
violent till there could be no doubt that the
patients bad been poisoned. Remnants of their
picnic lunch were then analysed or FIVE
kinds of cannes meat, canned tomatoes lemon
adc, etc, and the mischief was finally traced to
tho ico-crcam. Five of the persons whose life
was in danger for seyerai days had mcrol y tasted
the cream, aud noticing peculiar disagree
able flavor. bad failed to finish even their small
first sample ca sauccriul containing perhaps an
| ounce aud bait Of tho questionable deiicacy
SO small quantity proved, however, sufficient
( to bring 20 persons 10 deaths door and IL is
/ clear that moderation could not have awaited
I them TO avoid the worst consequences ii skilled
physicians aud stomach pumps had not been
near 1T hand
! The ice, cream had been ppisoned-BOt in
| teutlonaily, however, as was clearly proved by
| sickness in the family of the manufacturer. 1t
/ had become saturated with the germs of disease
! by being exposed all night ia a room flied with
ali SORTS Of vile vapors and serving, besides, as
"a dormitory. Milk, cream and fresh cheese
/ appear TO possess n special attraction for the
| Impurities Of the atmosphere, and cannot long
| be preserved in an untainlcd condition except
in covered vessels and with the aid of arti fetal
| refrigeration.
After tho seeds OF disease have once fastened
/ upon such Substances, their development can
not be prevented by their exposure TO mod
| crate degree Of cold
Ia the higher ATTITUDES billions Of microbe-
| seeds iBsecL.eggs and insect iarvje survive the
| ordeal Of severe Winter irosts, ana the Tefrig.
| Grating influence of an iee-eream freezer "
| cannot be relied upon To counterfeit the effect
| OF atmospheric impurities. The only benefit
| of the freezing process consists in retardiHg
| tho development OF the health ngeTing
| germs, and persons who have eaten even a
| large quantuin OF poisoned ico-crcam may stay
| out "A picnic and got home without feeling
| any symptoms o! serious indisposItion. Warm
! cream, eaten with bread cakes, might have
| produced those symptoms in less than an hour,
| but in warm weather not much can be gained
| by delay, and good deal can be lost by vast
ing the vital strength Of the patient in the pre-
liminary struggle with q mass o! indigestible
| Wanda.
Sausages of certain varieties are equally apt
to become tainted TO a degree which the word
| latpholssOme would no longer suffice 10 describe.
They are, indeed, apt TO become as morbhc
| rs trichinous pork, If the hash, before USE
| should have boen contaminated by exposure in
| a warm. impure atmosphere, and il is safe
| rule 10 avoid comGstibics OF that ind alto
| gether in Midsummer. Liver sausage" and
| the nauscous compound known as blHt- trirst y
| blood puddingl more specially liable "a
! such objections; and from sanitary point
of view the "jerlled beef" OF the Western
frontiersmen would, indeed, be often pref
| cradle to the hashy products of our butcher
| shops. Microbes fnsten most easily upon soft
| tissues OF n spongy texture, AS Is we'll ilnstrat
cd by the fact that mold and maggots III any
| desired quantities can bo developed at short
! notice by exposing cooked substances which in
| a dried or uucooked condition could be pre-
served for years, like such vegetable products
| as beans and peas. Hence, also the fact thai
soft berries and fruit are so specially apt to be
come unwhoesome in warm weather. Straw
berries in a preparatory state of decay may
produce violent gripping pains and other symp
toms of cholera IL orbus and it is a curious cir
| cumstance that the tainted condition of thG
fruit betrays itself plainly to the palate of cor
tain persons while others can notice nothing
| wrong,
my little girl was the only one that seemed
to have any misgiying about the taste of hel
SHARE" said lady OF my acquaintance whose
| family had been literally poisoned by supper
| of strawberries and cream. As a rule, she II
| very fond of berries. but that evening she JUS
tasted them and then spread her cream
| piece of biscuit. Out of IA pint she left half
saucerful untouched, and l believe that saved
her life. Her big sister had never been so sicA
for years as in tho night after that strawberrJ
supper, but the little one got OF with Il few
minutes collie. The berries, somehow, did no
taste right MT ALL" she said aftorward, "thougi
nobody else out OF party of six had noticed
anything suspicious about them. Their ap
pearance certainly, seemed all right"
The truth rs that provision dealers are con
summate masters in the art OF Disgusting thi
| incipient symptoms of decay. BY washing
drying aud pairing, aud frequently by The ust
of colOring substances, they manage To change
the teil-taie appearance OF stale vegetables
Crates of decay ing fruit are frequently CLEANED
and rearranged, or masked with top-stratun
Of fresh material; pickles are made attractive
by the use of verdigris, and tse taste of tainted
hash is disguised by liberal admixtGre o
pungent spices.
All such things illustrate the advantages o
private truck garden. but, in stress OF crenm
stances, also the benefits of procuring kitchen
supplies from limited number Of responsible
derlers whose desire to retain profitable Gus
toner can be accepted as guarantee again
sharp practice.
ITO be eonttaaedl