Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1902-03-14
FINDS EARLY MANS FOOD.
English scicntiat Declares Tint
Cnvc-DwcIIcrs Ate Vegetables,
Fish and Flesh.

r. Charters White, NJ. II. c. s., writ
ing on this subject in the London Sci
ence Gossip. says that palaeontology
affords many glimpses tending to the
elucidation of the lives of our prehis-
toric ancestors, but, though it provides
information that may be gathered
from consideration of the weapons
and domestic implements IL remains
for the microscope to throw a measure
of light on their food. Several years
ago barrow was opened on the downs
near Warminster in which number of
human and animal remains were found
heaped over the skeleton of an infant.
Having been allowed by w.
Cunnington, who opened this barrow,
to make an examination of some of
the human jaws, | shall describe as
clearly as / can the condition of one
as bearing on the question Of prehis-
toric food. The gentleman was per-
fectly ignorant of the use of tooth
brush, and probably whatever per-
formed an analogous function in 9th
ers of his surrounding circle failed in
his case, for his lower teeth were al
most entirely covered by that salivary
calculus popularity known as tartar"
The method adopted was to clear all
the tartar from the lower jaw and
then place it in conical dram meas
ure, to decalcify it by means of weak
dilution of hydrochloric acid. This So
luton was snfterward washed away and
the sediment examined drop by drop
under the microscope, third of an
inch objective being employed in the
examination. The main body of the
deposit was made up of amorphous
particles, probably disintegrated meal
of some kind. Interspersed were nu-
merous granules of siliceous nature;
these were fully accounted for by the
extensive grinding away of the sum-
mits of the molars, which were eroded
into deep pits and must have been pro-
ductive of intense discomfort, not to
say pain. The granules were found,
when tested by polarized light, to be of
two characters; some that were flinty
and did not answer to that test, while
the others did so and were stated by an
eminent geologist to be quartzite. He
explained this was probably the result
of the corn having been rubbed down
in roughly made quartzte mortar,
with round pebble as pestle.
Among the first organic remains to
be noticed was the sharply pointed tip
of small fish's tooth. following which
were the oval horny cells of some spe-
cies of fruit resembling those going to
make up the parenchyma of apples,
then husks of corn. the hairs from the
outside of the husks. a spiral vessel
from vegetable tissue and several small
ruby-colored, highly refractive bodies,
which could notrecognize. Scattered
throughout the sediment were oval
bodies resembling starch corpuscles.
such as may be found in potatoes, but
as they did not give the character
istic black cross under polarized light
it was decided that they could not be
starch; further, any starch would have
been reduced to he amorphous condi-
tion found in the general mass of the
meal. Their true nature was after
ward made evident by finding a fiat
plate of cartilage about one-thirtieth
of an inch square, from the free edges
of which these oval bodies were being
gradually extended, so that by the dis
Indignation of this substance these
bodies in the isolated condition proved
puzzle. Here, then, was evidence that
the particles of food locked up in this
tartar could be recognized after
lapse of time such as must have oc-
CURED since the stone age in which
they were masticated. No evidences
were found indicative of the use of fire
in cooking the food; it must therefore
have been eaten raw.