Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-08-15
Is DYSPEPSIA A MYTH
A DISEASE NOBODY SEEMS ABLE To
DEFINE OR LOCATE.

anu hough Eaters Do Not Have
h-oon't Blame 1t on the stomach.
Some time ago we read sometime, in o,o
OF our exchanges in which the wr;ter bo1d
.Aa' II was all wrong that we should even
ior moment entertain the idea that there
existed such thing as progressive pbvs.
lcal racial deterioration, and this ontimis.
tic WI itsr would make us believe that tho
generally accepted idea that we are fast he.
coming nation of dyspeptics had no fonn-
cation in fact, but that, on the contrary
evidence would show that dyspepsia was
much moro prevalent so years ago than
now. '''''
we nate to undeceive any cheerful human
Delng, but we cannot but feel that the on
timistic writer is laboring under a fond de-
fusion, which it is our unpleasant task to
uispeL what Is this disagreeable and i'll
behaved condition that renders the lord of
creation so miserable, robs him of all shirt
ana makes him feel like the wicked and re-
pentant Nebuchadnezzar as he crawled on
all fourss
The discovery of the art of cookery NAV
nave given a larger list of food whence man
might make up his bill of fare and many
imagine that the art has greatly contribut-
ed toward health and the lengtheninp of
human life. There are many good reasons
to make us doubt these conclusions. Prim
tive man living on grapes, berries, nuts
and grasshoppers, with milk and honey for
rellshes and wild onions for appetizers
must nave been the very soul of optimism
and health. Those evil genii, the distiller.
brewer and cook, had not begun their inter
mlnahle duel with the apothecary and the
| doctor, with poor, miserable man and his
stomach hiatt Loft
man was consequently not dyspeptic, goutv
nor uremic. Has the stomach of man
changed since those happy days, and what
has the stomach really to do with dyspepsia?
1t las been asserted. and not without
reason, that the Caucasian has more en-
| durance than any other race, and that in
comparison with contemporary animals he
| eXcels in capacity for work and endurance
| There is no doubt but that his stomach has
| endurance and capabilities that nearly
! equal those of the ostrich, rhinoceros or
| camel.
| The Scotch highlander swallows his I'M
| derdone oatmeal pOrridge, feeling that its
rawncss will retard its digestion, and not
/ compel him to repleuish his furnace for
| many hours. On the same principle the
| lrishlnan swallows his national mess of DO
| tatoea boiled with stone in the CENTER
| that Is, only the outer layer of the potato
| being boiled at all-also an expedient
| learned by experience that a half raw pota-
| TO viii last as long rs three well cooked
ones. The French peasant makes his meals
of II bread made of mixture of peas, rye.
| beans or wheat -four ground up, husks and
all, into one mass. This, with the addition
of ! tile cheese of questionable age and
some acrid wine, may serve for breakfast,
| dinner or supper Now, what is of particu-
| lar interest to us is the fact that none of
the examples given are troubled with dys-
| pepsl. 1t is well known that Ireland and
| Scotland present the greatest number of
past centenarians, while for an all round
long liver there is no nation on earth that
| excelS the French.
| The German can take down his regular
government length or allowance of pea
| meal. sausage, sauerkraut, sour milk and
| home brewed lager beer, handle the fail all
day and dance i'll his hobnailed shoes all
night filling in the interval with lunches
of anything that comes handy.
| The African stomach seems more to as
simulate to that of the ostrich or the rhi-
noceTos. The amount required to satisfy
the ordinary appetite of the son of Ham is
something incredible. The more he eats
the SIMMER his skin CLOVIS We never knew
one to require any pepsin even after din
ner of n 3-pound fish, pound of roast,
| half dozen eggs, olives, pickles, potatoes,
beets, turnips and other things, with some
dessert and coffee.
Evidently dyspepsia cannot be said to
depend on over1illing the stomach with
odds and ends as if it were a secondhand
junk shop or some back yard swilltub.
BY describing the idea of stomach COM
plication in any connection when treating
dyspepsia we will be more likely to reach
the true origin, cause or seat of the d sease.
Some cases have yielded up to exercise sys-
temGtically employed, while Others recover
under a few days of absolute rest. The
mum bers of so called dyspepsia that are
cured by the disappearance of business, do
mestic or social annoyance are nearly I'M
limited. An overdue note in the possession
of a bottle nosed and beetle eyed creditor is
more productive of dyspepsia than meal
of secondhand carpet tacks. In fact, it
may be a safe thing to assume that in dys-
peps.a we had better look in the garnet,
closet or cellar of the dyspeptic's house, or
among his business or social relations,
rather than to his stomach for the solution
of the difficulty.
With Americans dyspepsia has several
factors. The silly habit of treating or be-
ing treated in the saloons is a fruitful
source of renal disease, toXoemIa, and re-
sulting dyspepsia. There is no doubt that
in our system of education we obtain pro-
life source of dyspepsia.
There is one education that is sadly neg
lected in America-that of the palate or
stomach. In the trying American climate
man must either eat sufficiently or suffer
the consequences of not doing SO. Incom-
plete nutrition and consequent enervation
must be the inevitable results of the meager
diet on which too many of our people &C
custom themselves to live.
Another source of our dyspepsia is our
civilized and enforced antipathy to all in
nocent and healthful amusements. Tosuch
as see only evil in amusements dyspep-
sia-mental, moral and physical-must be
natural and incurable condition unless
their natures are SO intensely animal that
they are unconscious of their loss on the
sam principle that a cannibal is uncon-