The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-28
RUNTS FROM SPANISH RULE.
LACK OF FoOD STINTED THE MEN
tai AND PHYSICAL PORTO RICAN.

4 Native Porto Rfcnn Declares His
People Need Proper Food to Build
Them Up-During the spanish
Regime Meats Were Luxury Be
yOnd the Reach of the Masses and
Physical and Mental Degeneration
Resulted From "A Diet of Tubers
and Bananas
Correspondence Of the Associated Press.
San Juan. Porto Rico, Nov. 20.-Dr. Am
adeo. Porto Rican, who has passed much
of his life in the United States, recently
made a study of the foods of the poorer
classes of his countrymen, and has en-
bodied some of the results of his labors
in an open letter 10 Maj. Cen Brooke.
His statements have the ring of fact,
and they are interesting, in that they give
an idea of what the island laborer is and
of what can fairly be expected of him as
a citizen of the United States.
In the course of his letter DR.. Amadeo
says: Five years ago, upon my return
from the United States, I began to make
certain comparisons between the poor of
VI " ANA1O anu Aut DOytNl NleAsSC9 eAAAAS''5
the Americans. noted physical infe-
riority among the Porto Ricans. The
blame for this should be laid at Spain's
doors, for she, by reason of excessive
duties on the necessaries of life, always
prevented the poor man here from OBJ
tanning proper nourishment.
1.-THE science of nourishment shows us
that a man, in order to maintain his
health, should consume daily about 124
grammes of nitrogenized matter, 44O
grammes of matter containing starch and
SO grammes containing grease. Hence the
indispensability of meat. But the laborer
of Porto Rico lives on carbonates of hydro
gen alone Meat is a luxury he very rare
ly tastes.
This largely explains the condition of
the laboring classes in Porto Rico-the
muscular system wasting away from de-
fective nourishment and the brain inactive
and dun because deprived of phosphate.
Moreover, exclusive nourshment of this
kind engenders severe organic troubles in
the end. A dangerous and common disease
of the liver is the direct result among our
people of a diet of tubers and bananas.
I'VE cannot expect from men on such
diet that degree of intelligence and activ-
ity which would be found in men properly
nurtured. / am a country physician and
when my patients come to me for relief
from their many infirmities l am Obliged
to say to them: You do not need drugs
and medicines, but you do need meat and
fish and nourishing foods These are very
important facts to us and we sincerely
hope, as a source of possible relief, that
Gen. Brooke will do all in his power to
secure the admission into this island, free
from all custom duties, of sailed fish and
meats from the United States, and Of rice
and flour.
ITO the man who works for fifty cents
silver day we should try 70 give a mar
ket in which his fifty cents will buy him
proper nourishment. l believe the regen-
GRAFTON of this island should begin by re-
storing the health of its people. Surely it
would be a pity if the inhabitants of
part of the rich American union should be
without proper nourishment Such state
of affairs was comprehensive under the
Spanish regime, put il would be hard, in
deed. to understand under the control of a
government, whose first principle Is to
care for its people, as in Porto Rico care
for the people resolves itself now into their
proper nourishment.
"a majority of the Porto Ricans are of
European extraction. They cannot support
life in roofess huts and In the open woods,
as can the black races of Africa. We
should make 1t possible for them to OBJ
tain shelter and homes at least as good as
those of their forefathers. This could be
done by permitting the entrance, free from
all restrictions and duties, of the compc-
nent parts of simple houses, such as
boards joists, iron roofing and nails.
81 consider these recommendations,
which I venture to submit, to be of prime
necessity for the good of the people. HUI
mainly demands their adoption. The poor
er classes in Porto Rico cannot be expect
ed to appreciate their obligations to the
United States, much less to fulfill intell-
gently the duties of American citizens, be-
cause their enfeebled mental and physical
condition, the direct result of mal-nutrl-
ton, makes this impossible to them.
1--WE shall proceed with the work of So
cial reconstruction of this island, but in
order to have healthy minds 10 work upon
we must first secure healthy bodies. But
we cannot look for healthy bodies in a
country where excessive tariffs continue
to prevent the poorer classes from eating
meat and bread, and to compel them to
resort for sutenance to roots and bana-
mas"