The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1902-06-04
SMART & SILBERBERG.
OIL CITY, PA.
STALE BREAD AND NEW.
Indigestion should Not wait Upon
One More Than the other.


New bread is well known to be less di-
gestible than stale bread, although ii need
not be so. There can be no question,
however, OF the vastly superior flavor Of
the former, and hence the preference Of
many people for hot rolls for breakfast.
So far the palate would appear not 10 be
safe guide to digestion. Hot rolls, how
ever, when masticated properly should
not offer any difficulty TO the digestive
organs. 4 slice Of stale bread on being
broken with the teeth resolves into more
or less hard, gritty particles which, unless
they were softencd by the saliva, would
be almost impossible TO swallow. The
particles would irritate the throat and
the gulet. The fact is, therefore, that
man is compelled thoroughly to masticate
and to imprcgnate stale bread with saliva
before he swallows it, This act, of course,
partially digests the bread and thus makes
it in fit state for digestion and absorp-
ton farther on in the alimentary tract.
This is why stale bread appears TO be
more digcstible than new bread.
New bread. on the contrary, is soft,
doughy or plastic, and there appears 10
be no necessity TO soften it with saliva;
hence it escapes the preliminary digestive
action of the ptyalin of the saliva. New
bread. in other words, is in reality bolt
ed" and "bolting" accounts for many of
| the ills arising from dyspepsia. Accord
| ingly hot rolls should be enjoyed for
breakfast without fear of dyspepsia so
| long rs the bread is good and so long as
/ pains are taken to masticate 1t thorough
ly.
| When a dog is given n piece of meat,
| II will be noticed that he bolts" it. There
is not much reason why it should stay in
| the mouth. for the mouth, beyond reduc-
| ing il by the aid of the teeth to conven-
| lent mass, cannot deal with its digestion.
| But IL the dog be given n piece Of bread,
supposing he eats it at all, he will keep
it in his mouth for some time and will
almost labor over it before swallowing it.
The dog thus teaches q very important
| physiological lesson.
II Is curious fact that stale bread Is
not more dry than new bread. for on
submitting stale bread for a short time
to a high temperature il regains its con-
dtion Of newness and becomes soft or
plastic. and this in spite Of the fact that
some moisture is Of necessity driven of
in the operation. 1t is probable that in
new bread there is free water present
while in stale bread the water is still
there, but in condition Of true chem
ical combination, and it is this combina-
tiGn which compels MS thoroughly to
mostcn and to masticate stale bread be-
fore we consign It to the gastric ccnters.
Lancet.
Rivers which Traverse the Ocean.
In the ocean the longest way round
is ofttimcs the shortest way home. For
instance, if United States transport
were TO leave san Francisco for China
the most logical course would seem TO
be straight west across the north Pa
cifc to the land of the Boxers.
But in reality the ship would be
steered to the southwest along the
equator and past the Philippines to the
Asian coast This course would be
several hundred miles longer. yet II
would take the vessel to her destination
much quicker than the straight course.
In the one case she would be going
with the current; in the other she
would be going against the current.
The ocean is not a simple. painless
expanse over which short cuts may be
made but a system Of highways cross
ways and even blind alleyways, which
have been surveyed and laid out by ma
ture hersclf.-Ainslec's Magazine.