The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-07-09
Written for TIE NATIONAL TRrBUSEl
BEALTH BINTS
For Old and Young.
BY FELIX L. OSWALD. N. D.
CIV.
MooTEp QursTrnSs.

dealing with popular .allacy is 10 explain il. /
Difference Of opinion, indeed arises mostly /
from the difficulty OF accounting for the pecu- /
liar conceptions 40 she bottom Of a dissenting /
view, and in science, as we'll as in the inter |
course of daily life that difficulty could often
he removed b. free discussion Of the moOted /
principles.
" In your Health Hints" writes one Of my /
correspondents, lyon repeatedly refer 10 the /
advantage Of ycgctarianism over an animal, or /
rather mixed, diet. Will you allow me the |
following questions, which / have not been |
able TO answer 10 my own satisfaction. though |
] do not propose TO dispute the benefits OF a |
vegetarian diet in the treatment of special dis
orders: /. Should not our canine teeth DO con-
sidered proof that mixed diet is our most |
appropriate food ? 2 Is it not true that the |
intcstincs Of herb-uating animals, such rs deer
and cows are nearly three times rs long as
those Of human beings? 3. Would not the |
natives Of the Polar Circle perish without AMI
NAL food and should the inhabitants OF the |
lower but still frosty latitudcs not vary their
diet, at least in Winter, with flesh food ? f.
Would hari-wOFking men be able to subsst
on vegetables oxclusively2 5. Are not flesh
eating animals, as rule, stronger aud moro
active than vegetable feeders Of the same
sze2"
Answering these questions In the order stat
cd, il must, in the first place be admitted that
fcw OF our teeth bear an unmistakable re-
semhiaBce TO those Of carniyOrous animals. But
the same may be said of oar next relatives the
purely frugivorous monkeys and balloons. In
the hill country north Of Cape Town, southern
Africa, hunters frequently come across troops
Of the large fOurhanders known as Chacma
balloons, and the native sportsman would as
soon set dog on lion as permit him TO at
tack those fierce kinsmen Of Mr.. Darwin. A
/ fall grown male ChaCma can boast a set Of
| teeth that make him more than a match for
Ia. - lfa ~
enormous strength, and his canine teeth are
nearly two inches long and as sharp as those Of
| n panther. IN his raids on tho orchards Of the
I Cape katiirs he entirely disregaris a pack Of
/ yelping ours, and ut the approach of two
/ legged adversary covers tho retreat Of his
1 younger relatives by turning back now and
/ then 90 show his long fangs. Yet that fOrmi-
/ dablc freebooter is a strict vegetarian. Gagged
/ Chacma will rather starye 10 death than attack
\ such ielow-pTisoner4 as rabbits or kids and
will not even touch cooked meat, unless its taste
/ should have been disguised By vegetable adj
mixtures. If treated 70 dish OF Spanish stew
I he will pick out the potato chips and eat them
/ IN hesitatiug way, after rubbing OF the grease,
( but reject every scrap of meat. A charge Of
/ fastidiousness lie viii refute by eating hand
! iuls Of green apples, raw turnips, persnips
/ prickly-pear roots. and even grass and clover.
| Milk he will accept at auy time, but so will
] lamb aud deer.
I 4 ut 0tCpHu question can De answered IN the
/ same way. Our iHlestues bear no resemblance
10 those Of the ruminants, but still less to those
/ Of a flcsh-eating beast. They correspond exactly
10 the digestive apparatus Of the fruit-eaters
( which, besides tree fruits will cat nuts, berries
roots, pods. grain grass seed, honey, and sweet
/ rCsinous substances The differences between
our abdominal organs and those Of a COW, prove
clearly that we cannot subsist on herbs alone but
by no means imply thai we should supplement-
our fare with the flesh Of our fellow creatures
/ oar most appropriate food judging from tho
l evidence Of our alimentary apparatus would be
| ripe tree fruits and berries Including grapes,
etc, honey, edible roots, and iarinaceous dishes
Z with an occasional glass Of milk. FTugalism"
/ would, indeed be a much more appropriate
/ word than "vegetariansin," term TOO apt 70
I suggest diet Of crosses and cabbage. Yegs-
tarians OF more liberal class do not object even
20 eggs, which, by the way. are readily accepted
/ by nearly every species Of our instnct-guided
fellow fruit eaters, from = young Capuchn
monkey 20 full-grOwn Chinpanzee. The
fable that apes are born with deprayed taste,
aud have natural passion for alcoholic stiInu-
Tents, was exploded by Prof. Brehm who proved
that captive monkeys unless perverted by mis-
Chievous sailorsl will prefer plain water 10
wine and beer, aud that in order 10 catch
babDoas with "a bait Of brandy, the Abyssinian
hunters have to mask the taste of the treacher-
Gus intoxiCant by A large percentage Of sirup
without animal food, for the simple reason that
their native land produces no vegetables; but
they arc a stunted race, stunted in mind and
body, even IS compared with their next neigh
bbrs, the Norwegian peasants, who suLsist
largely on potatoes and dairy products. How
human beings ever came 70 cOlOnize a land Of
eternal snow would be 4 question less easy TO an
swer, though il Is not improbable that the polar
zone was first settled by shipwrecked seliarers
who were unable TO return to their native land
IN the lower ATTITUDES, aud managed to get used
10 diet Of walrus blubber. The voluntary
col0nists Of Iceland are beginning 10 realize
their mistake and since 1857 have emigrated
in evcr-incrcasing numbers to Manitoba aud
New brunswick. Besides, there il historical
evidence Of the fact that a thousand years ago
/ the climate OF Iceland was considerably mildeT
than 10 present. The whole west coast Of the
island Was covered with stately beech forests
aud the sheltered valleys produced heritage
enough for numerous herds Of milch cows, and
/ berries enough 10 compensate tho children Of
the Northman settlers for the loss of their Sean
dinaviau apple trees. Now the 10000 square
miles Of the island are covered almost entirely
either by ice fields or volcanic ashes and the
Caucasian instinct OF the natives begins TO re-
volt against the prospect Of q permanent blub-
Der diet
Would Woodworking men be able to subsist
on vegetables ezclsively2" is a rather ambig-
uOus question. since the word vegetables may
BE- understood either literally or in the cSnyen-
tlgual sense Of a vegetarian diet. a blacksmith
would hardly develop tho requisite amount Of
muscle on a diet Of cabbage aud water; hut if
his bill Of fare should be- supplemented with
bread, milk and fruit, he might get along quite
"a well as the longshoremen OF COnstantinOple,
who suhsist largely, If not exclusively on bar
loy-cakos aud dried fruit, yet shoulder burdens
that would make our professional athletes stag.
ger. The followers of Sbamyl, the Circassian
hero. who repeatedly cut his way through Il
twen;ylold number Of Russian invaders, had
10 live for years on beech-nuts and berries aud
, finally succumJed in consequence OF deficient
ammunition rather than Of insufficient food
though the Winter climate Of their highlands
IS quite rs rigorous as that OF northern Yir-
8 gIuig- In tie last Turkish Russian war not
one Of hundred Of the Moslem champions had
a chance TO taste bit Of meat. Their rations
I consisted Of mouidy dried figs, barley bread. a
little wheat bread, small STINT Of ghee, or
, | clarified butter, yet theirdefeat was certainly
not due 10 lack Of physical proves. The
, pilcky defenders OF kaTs had little besides
bread and brown sugar, aud after weeks OF
| double duty were still able 20 IemOunt dis
? maHtUd pieces OF ordnance which lew western
soldiers would have undertaken 10 handle with
out the al Of machinery.
| There Is 40 doubt that animals naturally
organized Tor the digestion Of a flesh diet are
| considerably more vigorous than heTb-eating
quadrupeds Of The same size. They need both
| strength AMI swll-urss 10 overcome their prey,
but ga neither respect can they be- said to be-
> IN sffl a