Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1895-08-17
STARVING ON BEEF TEA.
Likely to Disturb Many Oid-Time Che
lahetl DsltaiOua.

Likely to Disturb Many Old-rime Cher.
ishcd Dsiusious.
II 10 generally believed that beef tea
and animal broths of all kinds are
nourishing. The most recent medical
authorities assure rs that this Is mis-
take. In order to combat what II calls
"The Beef-Tca Dclusion," Modern Med
icine publishes an article consisting
largely Of quotations from q high mod
crn authority. We reproduce several
paragraphs below:
1.-The late DIR. Austin Flint remarked
on one occasion that thousands Of pa
ticnts have been starved TO death while
being fed on animal broths, beef tea,
etc. No error could be greater than
the notion very commonly held by the
laity, and still quito too largely enter
tanned by the members Of the medical
profession, that beef extracts, beef ten,
bouillon, animal broths, etc, are pecul-
iarly nourishing In character. We can
adduce no better evidence TO the con-
trary than Is afforded by the following
paragraphs from 'Dunge's Physiological
and Pathological Chemistry, one of the
latest and most reliable authorities:
"'We must guard against supposing
that meat bouillon possesses strength
ening and nourishing influence. In re-
gard to this, the most delusivc notions
are entertained not only by the general
public, but also by medical men.
"'Until quite recently the opinion
was held that bouil.on contained the
most nutritivc part of meat. There
was confused idea that minute guam
tity Of material-a platcful OF bouillon
can be made from tcaspoonful Of meat
extract-could yield IN cffectual source
OF nourislimcnt, that the cXtractivcs OF
meat were synonymous with conccn-
trntcd fool.
"'Let us inquire what substances
could render bouillon nutritious. The
only article OF food which meat yields
TO boiling water is gclatinc. II is well
known that albumcn Is coagulated in
boiling, the giycogcn of meat Is rapidly
converted into sugar, and this again
into Tactic acid The quantity of gela-
tine Is, moreover, very small; for
watcrv solution which contains only
one per cont. of gelutinc coagulatcs on
cooling. Such coagulation may occur
In very strong soups and gravics, but
never in bouiion. Bouillon. therefore,
contains much less than one per cent.
of gclatinc. In preparing extract of
meat. the quantity of gelatine is re-
duccd us much Us possible, because it is
In high degree liable TO putrefactive
changes, and therefore likely to inter
fcrc with the preservation Of the prep
aration. The other constituents of
bouillon are decomposition prod
ucts Of neutrality-suspicious. of the
oxidntions and dccompositions which
take place In the animal organism.
They cannot be regarded as nutri-
tious, because they are no longer capa-
BILE of yielding any kinctic energy, or
ut most such small amount that II is of
no Importance whntevcr.
Nevertheless, until the most re-
cent times. crcatin and crcatinin. which
are among the chief constituents OF
meat extract, were regarded as the
source of energy in muscle. This asscr-
ton was shown to be untrue by the re-
searches of Mcissncr and of Mott, who
proved conclusively that creatin and
crcatinin are cxcrcted in the urine
twenty-four hours after their absorb
ton, without loss. 4 material which Is
neither oxidised nor dccomposcd can
not form source of energy, apart from
the fact that the quantity of creatin
and crcatinin whica Is absorbed In
bouillon Is so small that II could not
possibly be seriously regarded Us the
source of muscular energy"