The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-03

the other hand, fat, which is very nee
essary for various purposes in the
body beside fuel, is taken from the
vegetable and animal Kingdoms in that
form or in the shape OF starch and
sugar, SO that when we assume that
any particular article of food has en-
tered into the structures of the body
because we find in the excretions the
elements of which it was composed we
are jumping at a conclusion that can
not be proved.
The principal errors that are com
mitted with food of vegetable origin is
breaking up of the natural combina-
tions either by extracting some Of their
constituents, as in the soaking of veg
etables in water before cooking, the re-
moval of part Of the grain by the sep
arator in milling or destructive To-
mentation by the agency of yeast.
just how much damage is done in
this way it is hard to measure, but
some experiments that have been made
lead to the belief that it is very much
greater than is generally supposed even
by experts, and the well-known case of
Majendie's is directly in point. He fed
a dog on bread made from fine white
flour, and 1t died in 80 days, while an
other, fed on whole wheat lived and
thrived. In the winter of 1878 the
writer Of this had patient who was
suffering from an attack of appended
tbs, and as the Inflammation extended
for some distance along the large in
testine it was deemed hazardous to at
tempt an operation. For four days the
patient had eaten nothing, and on the
fifth day he was allowed nourishment
SparingIy, with the result that the in
tammation was renewed and intenei-
t1ed. AS there appeared no hope of
preventing fatal issue by ordinary
means 1t was determined, with the pa
TENTS consent, to try the effect of fast
Ing, and from that time onward there
was not particle Of nourishment Civ
en- him until at the end of 81 days. All
that he received during that time was
a few glasses of water each day, and
he made a good recovery, and is now
In his ordinary health. An account of
this case, With some sensational addi-
tons, was published in the Chicago
and New York papers at the time
The only differences between this case
and Majendie's dog are that my pa
tient lost, as nearly as can remember,
40 pounds, but he lived, while the dog
lost no flesh and died so that the nu-
tritive value of any food of vegetable
origin that has been deprived of any of
its constituents must remain in extreme
doubt until further experiments have
been made.
All vegetable foods contain beside
water, four essential elements which
are proteids, fat, carbohydrates (starch
sugar. and miner ~ | in the con-
struction Of these fcaoE nature COM
pounds them In cartall harmonious
proportions. 1t is ty aat each food
differs from every o,hc the proper
ton of these elem aid In even the
same kind of foou uI the elements
vary according Il the - aracter Of the
soil in which they a.e rown and the
condition Of the wealth during their
growth; at the same he they retain
their power to nourish Il parts OF the
body, and therefor % is reason to
| believe that there rtain harmony
produced during ~ ggowth between
their constituent Is that fs'dis-
| turbed by the removal Of any part of
either Of them.
]. [ crais B. s., M. D.