The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-21
SALT in THE BODY.
1t Is a Necessary
Element in the
Tissues.
CLEANS SYSTEM.
Eat 1t in Moderation,
But Avoid
Excess.

Common salt is everywhere present in
the human economy, says writer in
the Dietetic and Hygienic Gazette.
Early in my medical pupilage, 1 spent
a winter in a medico-chemical labora-
tory in testing the substances in the
human body tissues, and found that
salt was everywhere to be eliminated
ere other tests could be had. This is
sufficient answer to those who years
ago taught that salt was not to be
used as food. Salt is excellent for the
development of the hair, teeth and
nails. 1t is reported that twenty kline
were fed one winter without salt by
the side of another set of twenty who
were fed with the same diet, but with
salt. The sailed kline went through the
winter all right; but the other lost a
good deal of their hair.
On the other hand, an excess of salt
produces a scorbutic condition of the
system. This is paralleled in the veg
etable kingdom. If you manure plants
too highly, you injure if not kill them,
and manures are simply forms of SOL
uble mineral plant food. Plenty of salt
on the food is found to be a good pre-
ventive of intestinal parasites (worms).
The soda of common salt goes to form
the salts in the bile. which are used in
digestion; while the chlo&le is found
in the gastric juice as hydrochloric
acid.
Common salt never forms any of the
gravels found in the human body 1t
sweetens the alimentary canal and pre-
vents to a certain extent abnormal fer
mentation. 1t is said to keep the red
blood corpuscles in good form and
shape. 1t is very Clearly. 1t makes
! thirst. because it causes too great a
specific gravity Of the blood for
other salts. In moderate amounts it
agrees well with the tissues, and does
not irritate them. Even animals know
the use and need of salt, for they fire.
quent salt ticks, and kline and horses
are fond of salt marsh hay.
No patient, with few exceptions, is
too sick to take salt In the state of
nature it is not pure, but the other
salts with which 1t is mixed are an adj
vantage, for they supply the needs of
the body in this direction. 1t is not well
to live on sailed meats all the time, as
| has been limited. In the brine, Liebig
! said about seventeen per cent of the
nutritive salts of the meat are ex-
tracted, and the residue made more diff
ficult of digestion. Hence, 1t is not well
to salt meats heavily, unless required
| by exigencies. Enough salt should be
used to prevent Preventative vegeta-
| tions destroying the meat, and but lit
tie more. I knew once diet of salt
meat, having been lived on almost ex-
clusively, to be followed by cancer Of
the liver
Salt is good for relish, for an ap-
| petizer, and to impart a pleasant flavor
ITO both animal and vegetable food.
Generally it is best for the cook to let
the eater salt the food to his own taste,
! for there are some very nice distinc-
| tons of the palate here. I have known
! the salt-fiavored clam of New England
| to awaken an appetite for food which
lasted for several months 1t seemed
| as If there was a special power to this
animal salt, as it might be termed, since
the person in question had been eat
ing salt from the self cellar on the ia
Bile right along. 1t is probable that we
to these times do not realize the album
dant provision of salt the world now en- D..
joys. So many sources of rock salt
have been discovered in modern times
that the expression, mot worth his
salt" as a value, has gone out of use.
Salt used to be an emblem of hospitali-
ty-a word typical Of the best people
in the world.