The National tribune., 1890-10-02
BEALTH HINTS
For Old and Young.
ny FELIX L. OSWALD, NJ. D.,
CHAPTER LXXXIV.
UMMER HTs-fcontInuedl

BUMMEH COMPLAIHTS-kcO nblnuOQJ.
Edwin Arnold, in his Light of ASIA" de-
scribes sect of Hindoo fanatics who attempted
to concliate the favor of heaven by swallowing
wormwood and sleeping on pile of horse
nettles. BY q similar course of self-torture
many thousands of our own countrymen still
hope to regain tho lost paradise of health.
Medicines are valued in proportion to the de-
gree of their responsiveness. The discoverer of
moro than usually sulphur spring
considers himself q benefactOr Of tho human
race. Only 80 years ago fever-patients were
slapped into sweatbox, and nine out of ten
hospital nurses still deem it dangerous to crafty
their demand for cold drinking water. Nine
ont of ten parents still warn their boys against
going in swimming in the dogdays-just be-
cause warm weather makes cool bath specially
pleasant; and tho use Of many kinds of pleas
ant fruits is discouraged for similar reasons.
THAT carload of watermelons will keep our
doctors busy" said an old lady Of my acquaint-
ance.
"What makes you think SOP" inquired !;
they seem to be fresh and nearly all ripe"
yes, but maybe that makes them all the
moro dangerous" said she. "Ths children
would not be so ravenously fond of them IL
they were healthy"
In other words, whatever Is pleasant must
be wrong" Only bitter, dull and insipid things
can be quite trusted. That lamentable delu-
fairest flowers, and still stands in the way of
many sorely-needed sanitary reforms
A good deal of missionary work in the right
direction u.s. however, being done by kind Of
hygienic establishments, which at this time of
the year attract thousands of visitors in the
vineyard districts of France and Switzerland,
and which under tho name of "grape cures
have begun to DO initiated on this side Of tho
sea-
Prof Wettenberg, of Zurich, gives the fol-
lowing account of the origin of these santa
RUNS: after the French Revolution" he says,
"a large area Of ancient hunting-grounds were
cleared and planted with fruit. Vineyards,
especially, proved profitable enough to attract
tho attention of wealthy SPECTATORS who
bought up waste uplands by tho thousand acres
and planted them with vines either to send
the produce to the wine press or to sell 1t In
tho form of grapes and raisins. In October
whole armies of winters wandered from place
to place, and being generally permitted to eat
all tho grapes wanted, were naturally inclined
to ecOnOmize their private provisions in that
way, and for weeks together often subsisted on
an almost exclusively frugal diet. Their wages
were small, and some specially economical indi-
viduals may actually have tried TO live on grapes
alone-probably not without sore misgiyings
"a to the possible sanitary effects. But those
effects agrceably failed TO verify their aPpre-
tensions. Instead Of the expected attacks Of
dysentery and cholera-morbus they expert
enced decided improvement in the operations
Of their digestive apparatus. Chronic cases OF
constipation were remedied without any I'M
pleasant after effects; dyspeptics found relief
which they had sought elsewhere In vain. Tho
whole system seemed to be renovated by the
simple plan of reducing the diet TO decidedly
inocuous and easily -digesthle article of food.
aud the mind generally experienced itH full
share of the benefit. Winters, who, as a class,
know the evils of alcohol too we'll 10 be intern
perate, but live moro largely on purely natural
food unchanged even by cookery than any
other class of civilized men, are IA lghthearted
is tho children of nature whom Cook aud Tas-
man found in the paradise of the South Sea ISL
snds Their gayety was somehow associated with
their ministrations to the service of Bacehus,
but the secret of their immunity from disease
was soon discovered, and an sever increasing
number of their afflicted neghbors began TO
seek relief in the Same way. O., by eating
grapes TO the moro or less complete exclusion
of other nourishment."
The grape cures of Switzerland permit bread
cakes, and any desired kind Of other fruit, but
discourage tho use of meat. In France very
small ratOns OF ordinary viands are served al
dinner and certain kinds of light confectionery
at breakfast and supper, the deficit to be eked
out by grapes in unstinted quantities. Beer,
coffee and tea hardly require Introduction. The
patients of tho vineyard sanitarium might ex-
perience q laundering after smoking-tobacco,
but after emptyinR 10 pound basket of watery
fruit are easily able TO dispense with other
kinds of fluid nourishment
1t is indeed, almost incredible what guam
titles Of the pleasant specific can DO swallowed
with perfect impunity. The mere idea of eat
ing Is pounds Of grapes q day would appal an
Anglo-Saxon gourmand, but on the shores of
Lake Leman that feat is often performed by
L Il Il "A
clearly an overdose, even for an able bodied
patient, but skeptics forget that the prescrip-
tion serves the purpase of drink as we'll as Of
food. pound of grapes contains 10 ounces of
pure water, besides sugar in its most digestible
form, certain vegetable ibers, trace OF albu-
men, etc, etc, and deducting the husk large
baskotful of peTfectly-ripo Catawbas would DO
Il less severo task to the digestive apparatus
than heavy dinner of ordinary made dishes,
washed down with copious draughts Of water
1t would, however, bo a mistake to suppose
that grapes alone possess such curative quail
ties. Cherries, good pears and perfectly ripe
melons could be used for exactly the same pur-
pose, and In many parts of tho United States
might BIO much more easy TO procure. The
first benefit experienced oven by confirmed
dyspeptics Is the bowel loosening effect of the
prescription, and ii the fruit chosen is not over
ripe (partly fermented) there is no cause for the
apprehension that its laxative tendency might
go too far and bring on any of the bowel COM
plants (colio, diarrhea, cholera morbus, etc,
which are commonly but enormously attributed
To the use Of fruit in warm weather.
Instinct can DO safely relied upon to indicate
the quantity of an article OF food to which
our digestive organs were specially adapted
during the countless ages of frugal antiquity
the era or fruit culture or fruit-and-nut gath
ering freedom in the paradise of the tropical
forests which undoubtedly preceded the epoch
of carniverous habits. AS long as fruit In q
state of perfect maturity can DO eaten without
aversion there is no danger of surfets, and to-
gether with entrements of bread. biscuits and
cream or an occasional light boiled egg, a diet
of that sort can DO safely continued for weeks
together.
Ito be eontinusd)