Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-09-18
DO NOT EAT TOO MUCH.
PROFESSOR ATwATERis LECTURE
ON A VERY PRACTICAL TOPIC.

" the Laws OF Eating Claims Many Vie
scientists Are Now Giving Atten-
tIon to the Subject.
The lecture was by Professor w. o.
Atwater, on Food aud Health" ltwas
under the auspices Of the scientific socie-
ties of Washington and the Smithsonian
institution. The principal point of the lee
ture was the adaptation of food TO the
demands of the body, and OF the evils of
oyereating and insufficient nutrition.
The eating Of bread and meat is a simple
matter, but the way in which the differ
ent constituents Of the food perform their
offices in the maintenance of life are prob.
lens as profound as any with which ply.
steal science has to deal The works of
nature eliminate in man. In his organ.
ism her operations are most complex and /
reconcile. The laws which regulate our
physical being are discovered but slowly, |
and by the most ingenious and profound
research Those which govern the nutri-
ton of our bodies have been shrouded in
mystery. which only the investigation OF
later time has begun 10 unyeil But the
crude theories Of the past are being grad
ually replaced by the more certain knowl.
edge Of the present
But this evil of overeating, be IL
great or small. is, of course, confined TO
the classes to whom generous fortune,
unchecked by reasonable restraint. al
lows IT, There are countless sufferers
from dietary habits into which self in.
diligence has not tempted, but relentless
fate have forced them The overfed only
FNnNs fgNE ale al. IA.
The greater misery Of the underfed, their
hunger, with its inseparable attendants.
Ignorance, seltishness, crime and degra-
dation, are things of terrible moment
The lecturer referred to the income and
expenditure of the body, as follows
"The body receives food, drink and
oxygen, which constitute its income
Part of this material is transformed into
flesh, fat, bone and other tissues of the
body. The remainder. together with tho
tissues worn out by use is transformed
into urea, carbonic acid. water, etc.
These products are given of from the
body and constitute its expenditure"
illustrated maps We're used To show
the dietaries of different people engaged
IN different occupations, and he PROVED
that although people in this countr,
work harder and need to have more an,
better food than those of correspondent,
classes in Europe, yet that many person
of sedentary habits, who really need bu
little, consume as much as would be re-
quired if they were engaged in sever
muscular labor.
A certain amount of food Is necessar
to keep the machinery moving A larg
lN.,. -. a l.. 4 -.
try eat much more than il necessar,
The excess consists of meats and swee
meats. We ransack the four quarters {
the earth for materials To excite the al
petite, and thus increase the amount
food consumed Most people of til
country are engaged in occupation
which require comparatively little mu
cular exercise. and the result is we in
pose upon our bodies the task OF gettin
rid of large amount OF material in O.
cess Of its needs nj fearful cost to healt
and happiness
The cheapest food Is that which SUI
plies the most nutriment for the lea.
money. The most economical food
that which is cheapest and best adapte
TO the wants Of the user But the maxiI
that ''the best is the cheapest" does ne
apply 10 food The best food, in I'll
sense of that which has the finest al
pearance and flavor and is sold nj iii
highest price, Is not generally the cheaI
est nor ihe most economical, nor Is il a
ways the most healthfnl. Ii is importan
that people be taught about their FOOD
but the first requisite is the informatio
10 give them The subject is, however
In - tV,t u ,,,sg.
the borders Of a continent Of which bu
small part has yet been explored Il
the great European universities investi
CATION is active. In our own countr
EXTREMITY little has been done, and tina
little is dependent almost entirely upo
private muniticence for its support
What, said the speaker, lis TO
done about NJ In the first place "
ought to find what flaws there are,
any, in the conclusions 10 which the bes
research of the time seems to fore
us Then we must see how these con
illusions are TO be supplemented Thi
will require abstruse and costly expert
menting. But at the same time the pub
lie needs to be educated People neet
to understand the fundamental princi
pies, The laws of a large number o.
states and territories require that physi
ology he taught in the public schools
but unfortunately the teachers them
selves are deficient in training, and many
OF the text books are sadly defective
In referring to the importance of pains
taking research, the speaker cited the
experience with the respiration appar.
atus. This in its best form has been used
in n few European universities and ex.
pertinent station laboratories, but not in
this country The greatest difficulties
attend its management. Professor Hen
neberg, Of the University of Goettingen.
began work Of this kind over twenty
years ago and has only lately, and after
the expenditure of many thousands Of
dollars. succeeded in getting his respira-
ton apparatus into condition for expert
ments Of the desired accuracy But the
great problem now before the student Of
animal nutrition is that of the income
and expenditure of energy in the animal
body. II will require the keenest, most
elaborate and most painslaking efforts Of
the chemist, the physicist, and the biolo.
gist, but the effort toward its solution
must be made
In speaking OF researches in this line
In the United States it was that we are