Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-02
From Harper's Weekly.

From Harper's Weekly.
"If the repair We're always identical with
the waste, life would then only be ter,ni-
rated by accident, never by old age" This
is fact well known to all who have in
vestigated the subject, though Mr.. G. HI.
Lewes, III his Physiology of Common
Life" makes the statement quoted. In
early years this balance of the human syS-
tenn is admirably preserved. As man adj
vances in life, however, and gets up to
fifty or sixty, he begins to get stiff in the
joints, and experiences what he calls feel
ing his age" Renovation of various or
gans of the body depends on the blood, and
if this supply is not at all times furnished
in sufficient quantity and quality gradual
deterioration takes place. Heart and arteries
become clogged and the whole delicate ma
chinery suffers from the lack of nourish-
ment. Deposits of phosphate and car
Donate of lime accumulate, and the change
is really a chemical one, by which the
blood is hindered from going to the eX-
tremities of the system and fulfilling its
work of repair and renovation. Old age,
then, is the result of a change in the blood,
V hich becomes overloaded with earthy
salts, leaves its refuse matter in the sys-
TEN. and the valves of the heart become
cartlaginous. Becoming thus, the heart
is not able to propel the blood 10 its desti-
nation. Arteries also having become osSl-
fed, a still further obstruction takes place,
and the whole body languishes. Blood is
life. If il is kept continually in good order
our years prolonged. New bodies, as
in youth and early manhood, do not ac-
emulate these fbrinous and gelatinouS
deposits, which, as the years so by, help
the gradual process Of ossification and
cause the decrepitude of age. Now, if
some means were discovered by which the
blood could be kept in condition like
that of youth, il would throw off these
earthly salts which obstruct the action Of
the heart ard arteries. Our food and drink
make our blood. 1t seems, then, that it
is to them we should look primarily for
the quality of it.
Without eating and drinking there is no
life: but we may select certain Kinds OF
foods containing a minimum amount of the
elements which cause the oSSitic blockaSeS
in the system. An English physician, DR..
&. f. De Lacy Evans, who made many re-
searches in regard to our food, comes TO
the conclusion that more fruit should be
eaten. especially apples, grapes and ba-
nauas, they being rich in nutritious ele-
nents. Being deficient in nitrogen, they
are best for elderly people, as they keep
the blood in a better condition than flesh
After the age of sixty people should eat
less beef ard mutton, and use more apples
and nuts of all kinds. the latter being rich
in many OF the nutritious elements Of meat.
Fish and poultry have not the objection
able earth salts of beef. In order TO re-
tard physical decay and to keep the blood
in a wholesome condition distilled water
is recommended. 1t has solvent qualities
which act upon the earth salts in the blood
and eXpel them from the body 4 goblet
of this water taken three times n day. with
ten or fifteen drops of diluted phoSphoric
acid in each glass has tendency to assist
the blood in eliminating the obstructing
salts. y man is as old as his arteries IL
they are soft and compressibie the deterior-
ating effects of old age have not appeared.