The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-24
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
How Youth May Be Prolonged for
Half Il Century or More.

Food Products Which Not Only Sus-
tain Life But Prepare the Body of
Mankind for Various Pursuits-No
Longer Necessary to Grow Old.
| In this selfish age it is refreshing to
! | know that there are people working every
| day to discover a way to prolong human
life and to fill the cup of human JOY to
the brim and keep it filled until man has
reached the limit of his vital capacity for
living, and dies full of years of happiness.
This the Division of Chemistry of the
| Department of Agriculture is endeavoring
J to do. 1t seeks to discover such food
products as will not only sustain life, but
prepare the body for the demands made
upon it by the various occupations and
pursuits in which mankind is or may be
engaged. 1t is. the chemists believe, self
evident that with pure food and ra-
} tional observance of the laws of hygiene
and sanitary measures, the life of the
human being would be prolonged to a
considerable extent until ceutenarians
who now arouse our notice when they
discovered, will be so common as to war
, rant no remark.
Times reporter recently visited DR..
II. w. Wiley, Chief of the Division of
Chemistry of the Agricultural Depart
) ment and also president of THE Hun
bred Year Club" organization for the
study of longevity. When asked to
give his views to means for prolonging
human life DIR. Wiley said:
Among the forces that are most effec-
tive in developing individuals and ma
tions, we find that those which are most
frequently discussed are education and
religion. 1t is evident, without argument,
however, that back OF this there is an
| n xvI fret
sideration, namely nutrition. We are all
aware of the intimate relations which
food bears to growth and development.
These relations are well understood by
raisers of farm animals. The science of
feeding the animals of the farm has been
SO improved within the past fifty years
to be almost exact. Different types of
animals are developed for different pur-
poses almost solely by variations OF food
One of the most striking instances of this
kind is the development of the dairy
COW. For example, in the dairy COW like
the Jersey, the object which is kept in
view from the earliest moment is feeding
| so as to produce animal which will
give fat in its milk without having fat
upon its body. One of the most success
full breeders Of Jersey cattle in the
United States said that a Jersey calf
could De utterly ruined for making
a superior Jersey milking cow during the
first six months of its life. If during that
time it was permitted to eat all it posi-
bly, could it would form the habit of fat
production, which would prevent it from
ever becoming a typical milking cow.
Animals fed also for working pur-
poses we'll as for fat and milk pro-
duction. Chickens are fed to lay eggs
and TO make broiers; horses are fed to
drag heavy burdens and to run races,
and sheep are fed on the one hand to pro-
duce wool and on the other to produce
mutton.
MAN A NEGLECTED ANIMAL.
'Of all the valuable animals, the feed
ing of man alone seems TO have been neg
lected 1t is evident. in order to secure
success in any profession in life. that not
only should the child inherit from his pa
rents natural abilities and aptitudes for
his profession, but should. from the time
| of infancy, be subjected to a regimen of
| food, exercise, and culture suited to the
profession which he is 10 follow.
| The history of nations has shown that
those which have been best fed have
been. upon the whole, the strongest and
most speedily developed. To appreciate
this 1t is only necessary to compare those
nations that have been well fed for CEN
turtles with those that have always had
Inferior or deficient nutrition. Among the
older well-fed nations, England stands pre-
eminent. There is much; doubtless, in
blood and heredity. People are at birth
what their ancestors have made them.
but food acting through thousands and
thousands OF years. made their ancestors
what they were The desire for food as
much as conquest, has sent Englands
ships to all nations and quarters of the
world to gather In corn as well as coin.
| Not only in commerce does food play
an important part, but also in war. In
the light of recent developments, 1t is
seen that beef was q more important fac
| tor In ,sT- lot rtr1- Craain l.
let's. The study of foods in their relation
to national and individual development Is
intimately associated with the study of
| longevity. II requires no argument to
show that that kind of food which is best
suited to the full development of all the
powers of the individual. and thus to all
the powers of the nation, is also the kind
| which can prolOng life.
1T is well-known principle In epidem-
les and in contagious diseases that they
spread most rapidly and do their most
deadly work among those portions of
the community which are poorly nour-
ished. When an epidemic or conta-
giOus disease attacks community which
is well nourished it finds individuals in
whose system the germs Of disease do
not readily find a Judgment. and if a
Judgment is found, the battle which these
| disease germs wage with the vital forces
usually ends with the victory OF the
latter. Therefore first of all, good nutri-
ton is requisite to secure nation from
dangers of EPIDEMIC and contagious dis
| ease.
| IMPORTANCE OF CHEMISTRY.
"Of all the sciences which have to do
with the subject OF food. chemistry is
| by far the most important In the first
place the nature of food is only evoaled
| by chemical studies Through these stud
les it has been established that all human
| foods may be d'"idcd into three or four
| great classes. We have first of all those
nutrients which contain nitrogen as
their essential element. This class of
foods Is commonly l-r 'wn as protellS' al
| luminous or nitrof foods. BELONG
| Ing to this class some of the most
| important nutrient ich sustain the life
| of the animal. = vegetable king
dom may no gluten of wheat,
| the Zein of corn e horden of bar
| ley. and in gene heterogeneous prin-
| ciples of cereal long the animal
foods we know lie flesh is composed
| almost entirely heterogeneous principles.
Eggs are heterogeneous food. We find that
in the most highly organized tissues of
the body the heterogeneous element rs al
ways present in large quantities. There
fore the foods which will maintain and
build up such tissue must be heterogeneous.
Such foods must take first rank
1.-The second class of foods may be de
fined those which include the starches
and sugars From chemical point or
view these foods are called carbohydrates.
and are just as essential to the body,
nourishment as the proteids. AT the pres
| eut time we have not so much to do with
| the chemical natures'of the substances as
We have with the study of their relation
| to the nourishment Of the body. We find
| that while the heterogeneous foods are elah-
grated largely into the tissues OF the
body, starches and sugars or carbohy-
| drateS, in general. are not found to any
| very great extent in animal bodies In
| fact. In a state of health sugar is not
fNN In al. I.1 Tf "a