The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-25
A Mixed Diet Is Required, and Man
Must he Taught to Enjoy Himself
fl He Desires Long Life.
EXPERIMENTS ARE NECESSARY
AND THE HUMAN RACE SHOULD BE
FED LIKE PIGS OR STEERS.
Years Would BE Required to Ascer-
tain the Best Method, but the
Span OF Life Could Be Extended.


Correspondence OF the indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2S.-"Do you
really believe that science will learn to
prolong human life to a hundred years
during this busy century just dawning!
This question 1 yesterday put 10 DR.. H.
w. Wiley president OF the now famous
Hundred Year Club" and chief chemist
OF the Department OF Agriculture.
when mans age Will reach a hundred
years Il is impossible 20 say. but that the
time is coming. in fact, is now here. when
the average human life can be prolonged.
is a truth not to be gainsaid What has
been done to prolong life is little compared
with what il is possible TO do If an organ
lied movement can be started among intel
ligent people in all parts Of this country TO
study this great subject new light VIII
surely be thrown upon it, But the chances
OF an infant. born now TO become a men,
Der OF Congress are about equal TO those OF
his becoming a centenarian."
us not heredity the chief force to DO
considered?'
ut is useless TO speak of a time when
the same care will be taken to secure
healthy race of men as is now taken by
the wise farmer with his domesticated ami
mails. Marriages will continue without
much reference to effects on posterity.
Romantic love in the young is stronger
than fear of tuberculosis or epilepsy
Beauty, personal attractiyeness, real or
imaginary, wealth, social and official posi-
ton will continue, perhaps happily, TO be
the ruling forces in marriage. The ardent
lover thinks fondly of pink cheeks and
blue eyes and forgets that lungs and
hvers are of greater Importance. both for
the present and future.
1--WE cannot, therefore, expect any great
advance to be made in longevity from
careful study of health and vitality by
prospective parents.
1.-The most efficient force affecting lon
gevity is food. In the near future the most
valuable contributions TO the means OF
| lengthening human life will come from
study Of the food problem. Often body
fragile by heredity may be made strong
and vigorous by a proper selection-of diet
First of all. a more natural and rational
method of infant feeding must be irsti-
tuted. In this modern age of islns and
fancies natural methods OF nourishiES have
been largely superseded by artificial meth
DDS of feeding. The number of brands or
infant foods in our market is. at once. q
of ingenuity on the part of the compound
ers These illustrate the great powers OF
adaptation of man TO changes in diet
Mothers milk is the food intended for in
fants. The chemist can tell you how great
| ly cows milk differs from il. Cows milk
is troublesome food. hard to keep sweet
and fresh. Therefore substitutes. often
solid and less likely to decay. substi-
tuted for il. The leading principle in baby
| feeding is not always nutrition, but, alasi
too often convenience. 1t is sought TO make
babies fat as pigs thus, at the outset OF
life. fostering that tendency TO the accumu-
lation Of fat, often the curse Of more ma
| ture years. Often the whole after life, *
| there be any, is biased and distorted by
these early mistakes Of nutrition. If tho
| infant cannot receive its natural food the
4 substitute should be as nearly natural as
possible"
RECOMMENDS a MIXED DIET.
| what sort of diet for grown people ID
| most apt TO proiong life to a century,"
| II believe that a judiciously mixed diet
| will be found. in the end, most suitable
for the average man. am not believer
| in any universal panacea for all human
ills. The human family is capable OF con-
forming to the greatest variations. Man
| can live at the equator and is trying TO
live at the poles. He thrives on fruits and
| nuts and can live on flesh and fat 1t may
be true that strictly vegetable diet il
conducive 10 long life, or IL may be that
an animal diet would lengthen ones days.
These are problems well worthy of study.
In these matters 'cranks may not be with
| o1rft fffiff he axfr
| by vegetarians and teetotalers which TO
me seem to rest on no solid foundation at
least cause men TO think and INVESTIGATE
There are four chief kinds OF fOod-
those which contain nitrogen. those which
include the starches and sugars. fatty
foods and mineral foods. The proper pro-
portions in which mingle these have
been well worked out FOR domesticated
animals. but not completely for man one
of the chief arguments jusufying the or
ganization Of such an association as the
Hundred Year Club will be found in the
experimental study OF foods
Men must subject themselves to expert
ment and be fed as pigs or steers are fed.
| These experiments must continue for a long
period. and must be repeated on various
classes. An example may better illustrate
what i mean: Two hundred children OF
the age OF ten years are divided into two
groups. One hundred are fed on strictly
vegetable diet. the second hundred on =
mixed diet OF animal and vegetable foods.
At the end OF fifteen years the results of
these two systems OF feeding are 10 DC
noted by board OF scientific men. The
study OF a moderate use OF alcoholic bev-
erages should be pursued =. the same way.
Two hundred young men at the age Of
twenty, in two groups, could be subjected
TO diet varying by moderate use OF wine
or beer. and the results obtained at the
end OF few years examined in the way
mentioned. Such studies would require
considerable money and time. but they bear
50 vitality on questions affecting human
life that the outlay would be perfectly
justifiable.
FOOD AND CHARACTER.
'"The effect OF food on characfer-individ-
ual and Nationalist also OF the utmost I'm
portance. Is IL true that purely Vegetable
diet makes men less beiiigcrent. that AMI
NAL food makes them more puxnacious; Z