The National tribune., 1892-05-12
HEALTH. 4 HINTS
For Old and Young
BY FELIX L. OSWALD. NJ. D.
CHAPTER CXL.
THE SPICE HABIT.


nicotine habits" but the fact is that every
stimulant can become the object of an abnormal
passion, tending to become more or less uncon-
trollable if INDUCED to excess for protracted
period.
In Italy, where the consequences of intem-
perance have considerably lessened the popu-
larity of alcohol, there are stimulant worship
ers whose love of strong cheese has become q
perfect passion. They use the coveted pungency
with every meal, even at dinner, in the form
of a coarse powder, scattered by handful over
dish of macaroni. They use cheese very
much as we do salt, or as the Spaniards use
pepper which in many parts of Spanish
America is considered an indispensable ingre-
dent of soups and meat stews, but besides is
masticated for its own sake, like tobacco or the
betcl nut of southern Asia. In the military
hospital of Puebla Mexico, / often saw wound
ed soldiers take handful of chile colorado from
q greasy old haversack and help themselves to
dose that would have set the palate of north
lander inextinguishably on fire. Five pods
of red pepper were not considered more than
moderate chew, and old habitues would take
three such doses in day and chew them I'M
mixed, and even without betraying symptoms
of unusual thirst. In many Mexican house
holds an unpeppered stew would be considered
indigestible and tho idea of land without
red pepper would be amazing as the existence
of civilized country without fire or salt. The
Polish Jews would dispense with bread sooner
than with garlic, and DR.. Hufeland speaks of .
Marseiles 'longshoreman who earned from
10 to 20 francs day. loaned money on interest
and gave aims, but slept at night in his basket
and subsisted on IA onions day for so many
years that he was chiefly known by the nick
name "Quatorze Oignons cold Fourteen
Onions" az American sailors would have trans
lated it,
That strange diet is perhaps, after all, less
IL. 3 ~
health than the vinegar pickle and mustard
mania of many northern gluttons, not to men,
ton that N onstrous passion for decayed fish by
which the natives Of the Farce Islands are said
to have shortened their lives to an average Of
40 years Baron Humboldt describes tribe of
Oronoco Indians who eat clay till their bellies
protrude like drums, and who, on their occa-
sional hunting expeditions take along clay
bags containing from six to ten pounds of
pasty. reddsh-gray substance. The clay habit,
however, is by no means confined to South
America. 1t occurs in many parts OF our
Southern States, but especially in the Georgia
mountain districts where | once had an inter-
view with the father OF two confirmed clay
eaters, and was shown sample of their queer
habits. 1t was sort Of ferruginous clay, in
distinguishable from ordinary potter's clay
except by a reddish tinge and slightly pun
gent taste, something similar to that impaired
to spring water by an admixture of iron. That
chalybeate flavor may explain the temptation
Of the preposterous habit, which in its earlier
stages might perhaps be cured by the substitu-
ton of comparatively harmless tincture OF
iron, diluted with water. In the solid form
the percentage of iron is less than 1-50th of
the red clay. In other words, the clay-eater
swallows about four pounds of dirt to get an
ounce of the stimulating principle just as
beer-drinkers have to gulp down a quart of
stale water to get at teaspoonful of alcohol.
At all events, the clay habit, after years in
diligence is considered incurabe, and the rela-
tives of those lamentable highlanders founded
their only hope of redemption on the chance
of sending the youngsters to some country
where red clay was unknown.
Hartshorn (ammonia) is SO sure to disorder
the digestive organs that unleavened bread
would, on the whole. be preferable, and prac
tical housekeeper expresses misgiving that
soda. habit is going to be added to our long list
of dietetic vices. ITO one who has the interests
of health at heart" she says "it is alarming to
note how frequently in the cookery recipes
given in domestic and rural papers, soda is rec
commended. l do not merely refer to the use
of soda in the making of breads and pastry.
which, indeed, is so general, but rather to it's
employment in the cooking of certain articles,
and for the purpose of neutralizing the acidity
of others. For example, in a late contemporary
magazine the experience of a correspondent is
commended, because in the first place she dis
covered one day when her sugar-box was low
that cranberries were made palatable with
much less sugar than usual by the addition OF
small quantity of soda.
AS the result of her experience, she recon-
mends tho addition of soda in cooking goose
berries, prunes, dried plums, cherries ETC., on
the score of economy in the use of sugar, saying
that the use Of about half a teaspoonful to a
quart Of fruit will lessen the required amount
of sugar one third. She also recommends soda
in cooking both fresh and dried beans as saw
ing of fuel and for the same reason wants
pinch of soda added in cooking tough meat or
an old head Of cabbage. But the GROWING sue
cess of this writer is her economy in using it
on spare rib which had been kept until nearly
spoiled. The meat was cut up, washed in cold
water and then dropped into boiling soda
water, and after 10 minutes Of dosing, was
moved and cooked ordinarily, when no traces
of faint were dscoverable. Soda, too, is often
used as domestic remedy for sour stomach,
heartburn, ETC., and usually the doses taken are
pretty large. While soda will give temporary
relief in such cases. its use is harmful, because
1t neutraizes the acid of the gastric juice, as
well as other acids which may be present, and
thus retards digestion. The pepsin of the gas
trio juice is active only when in an acid me-
dunn.
Whe 1t is we'll understood that dyspepsia
and attendant ills are the effect of these So
called economies, the good sense of our Ameri-
can housekeepers will doubtless assert itself and
the pinch of soda" will be looked upon with
just adherence, rather than as friendly aid
to cookery. The saving of a few dimes can in
nowise compensate for an incalculable injury
to the digestive organs Soda and its concomi-
tants have no rightful place in hygienic cook
cry. A "pinch of soda" may be legitimately
employed to soften hard water for washing
dishes, and for lathing purposes or to dress
burns and insect bites, but friends, as you
value good digestion aud good health, let it be
forever kept out of your stomachs. The ban
ishment of soda, in all its forms, would, how
ever, imply the remuneration Of salt, alias
"chloride of sodium" There is, indeed no
doubt that the supposed necessity of the best
spice, next to hunger" has been somewhat
overrated. We would not dream of sailing
articles of food constituting the most appropri-
ate diet of our species, such as fruit, berries
nuts, milk and honey, and the fact that un-
sailed meat cannot we'll be relished proves
only that our digestive organs have fOt been
naturally adapted to the assimilation OF flesh
If the remedy increases the wholesomeness
of animal food is still another question. Car
nivorous brutes of many species would rather
~ hGs Found noe
- "a. 1ofelv but % veara