The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-03-06

entire pCpulatlOn OF 1ltlSDulS ana Alle- |
gheny have not succumbed to our pres
ent drinking water shows that there |
is. after all, a large percentage of |
healthy stomachs among US The per-
son with feeble digestion must take |
especial care to boil his drinking water !
and avoid suspected foods.
TO return to the second cause of our |
national dyspepsia, ice water at meals. |
When imDerfeCtly mastiCatCd food Is /
washed down by copious d"ar-hts of !
ice water the first bad result is that |
the saliva and gastric fluid are much |
diluted. and are correspondngly less
efficient. Secondly, the temperature of
the stomach is lowered below the point
where perfect digestion can take place.
Digestion requires 100 degrees fahien-
heit hence it must stop until the in
ieCted ice water shall be heated to that
temperature. But decay, as we know,
will begin at much lower degree
hence. though there may be no diges-
ton there will be decay. Third, the
salivary glands finding sufficient mois-
ture in the mouth without their action
make little or no secretion. We hear a
great deal nowadays from political
! economists about the evil effects OF
pauperizing the poor by1iving them
! what they have not earned. The ply
| steal nature is as easily pauperized as
| the moral. If the mouth be supplied
| with moisture, little or no saliva is Sc
| creted If pepsin be given to the stoin-
ach, no pepsin will be secreted. The
| best digestive results are obtained
! from dry food, the necessary water TO
! he taken between meals. The same
objection applies to hot drinks, such as
/ tea or coffee, which should be drunk
at the close Of meals, and to Wlhe'
which should be drunk, when at all
! before they begin. Alcohol IN any
| shape preciptates the constituents OF
the gastric fluid, ana renders 1t wholly
| inert.
OUR FOE THE FRYING PAN.
The third great national foe to dlges-
J ton is the frying pan. The essence Oh
! frying is hot fat; and fat as we re-
member is not affected by the saliva
nor the gastric fluid. but receives It's
first digestion from the bile. A bit or
| fried potato, for example. is surround
ed by an oily coating of melted fat.
! This fat is impervious to saliva Whlch
| is thus prevented from coming into
| chemical contact with the starch OF the
potato. Bits of fried fish or meat or
egg enveloped in the oil coating of the
melted fat, are similarly rendered i'm
Deryious to the action of the gastric
fluid and pass on to the intestlnes,
where the fat at last may be dlgesteu,
but where the substances it encased re-
main to ferment, and cause SICK head
ache and bilOusneSs. 1t Is the excess
of melted fat which renders pastry so
indigestible. The butter or lard Is so
thoroughly worked into the flour that
. l,+t i- .nI =
fat with the result that the saliva is
unable to act upon the starch of the
flour. For the same reason grid1le
cakes and hot biscuits lavishly spread
with melted butter are so apt to cause
INDIGESTION. The extra work which the
use of the frying pan entails upon the
bile and pancreatic fluid tends to d.
minish the quality of these secretionS,
and the natural result is a fat indiges-
ton A weak starch digestion is al
most always accompanied by weak
fat digestion. This is easily under
, stood when we recall that both fat and
starch are carbo-hy ydrates, with the
same constituents of carbon, hydrogen
| and oxygen. that they fill much the
same place in the animal economy, and
that starch receives its final digestion
= in the liver. While free fat is emulsi-
fed by the bile and made ready for alb
: sorption into the tissues, starch, trans
l formed by the saliva into a perfectly
=, soluable substance is stored in the liver
[ cells to be delivered up as the system
= calls for force and heat.
Another substance which prevents
the proper action of saliva is vinegar.
The saliva, as we have learned, is
I. strongly alkaline, and anything which
t weakens its alkalinity weakens its di-
e gestive power. The practice of placing
the salad near the end of dinner after
D the starchy vegetables have been eat
en- is founded upon sound hygienic
. principles. The system must have
- acids. but it can get all it requires
: from the natural fruit acids without
!. calling upon a fermenting substance
N like vinegar. DR.. Kellogg experiment.
:, ed at the Battle Creek laboratory witt
:, q number of healthy boys, feeding then
, different foods in different combna'
!, tions and then analyzing the contents
of their StOmaChs He found tha
vinegar in the proportion of one par
l. vinegar to twenty parts saliva vii
a. utterly 7estrOy the eGli"GTy 1i~rstion
9 Vinegar also interferes with Gastri
j. digestion by its preseryativ2 qualities
q We preserve melons, fruits and meat
j. in vinegar, and it has the same preser
,e Vative action when introduced into tn
m stomach. 1t is directly antagonistic L
h the gastric fluid Salads are quite q
acceptable when dressed with lemol
Juice.
80 FOODS SHOULD BE STUDIED.
h. A knowledge of the relative value O
A. foods is of the highest Importance t
tn the housekeeper especially when sh
ic has to provide for the needs of work
ir ingmen and growing children. Meat
s. are valuable according to the amour
re of protein they contain, and accordin
SIS to the digestibility of their fibre;
IN loose, open fibred meat being MOI
he easily acted upon by the digestiy
us fluids than one which is firm and con
in pact. Beef contains a high percentag
r of protein, with a fair proportion
ht fat and inorganic salts Taken in cor
er nection with a small amount of brea
ed and butter, it is capable of supportir
ric life indefinitely. The best methods
e. cooking are broiling and roasting. Ra
Nv beef, finely minced, viii digest in tN
hours; broiled or roasted, it will II
quirc three hours. Tough beef can
tn stewed with advantage, but both gray
ie- and meat must be eaten to get II
IN whole nutriment Beef tea used to
ie- regarded as a highly concentrated foe
IS ard nerfect diet for conValeSCent
nd but il is now known to be only a stir
ms ulant. The protein or life-g giving el
nj ment of beef is not solute in water al
OF makes very small per cent, of be
Y. hA