Evening star., 1902-01-04
EVILS OFF EATING ALONE.
Dyspepsia Likely to Result From I'm
sOciabiIity.

sociabiIity.
From the London Lancet.
At time like the present, when the
marrying age of the average man Of the
middle classes, is being more and more
postponed, the physical ills of bachelordom
come increasingly under the notice of the
medical man. 1t is not good for man or
woman to live alone. Indeed. it has been
well said that for solitude to be successful
a man must be either angel OF devil. This
refers perhaps mainly to the moral as
poets Of isolation, and with these we have
now no concern. There are certain ply
sical ills, however, which are not the least
among the disadvantages of loneliness. OF
these there is many a clerk in London,
many young barrister, rising perhaps,
but not yet far enough risen: many a busi-
ness man or journalist, who will say that
one Of the most trying features of his un-
married life Is to have to eat alone. Aud
premature dyspepsia is the only thing
ever takes him to his medical man
There are some few happily disposed in
dividuals who can dine alone and not eat
too fast, nor too much, too lit
tie. With the majority it is diff
ferent. The average man puts his
novel or his newspaper before him and
thinks that he will lengthen out the meal
with due deliberation by reading little
with and more between the courses He
will just employ his mind enough to help
and too little to interfere with digestion.
In fact. he will provide that gentle mental
accompaniment which with happier peo-
pie conversation gives to meal. This is
your solitarys excellent idea. In reality
he becomes engrossed in what he Is read
ing, till suddenly, finding his chop cold ne
demolishes it in a few mouthfuls or
else he finds that he is hungry. and pay
ing attention to the book, which he
fiings aside, he rushes through his food as
fast as possible, to plunge into his arm
chair and literature afterward. In either
case the lonely man must digest at a dis
advantage.
For due and easy nutrition food should
be slowly taken and the mind should not
be intensely exercised during the process.
Everyone knows that violent bodily exer-
else is bad just after a meal, and mental
exertion equally SO. Wise people do not
even argue during or just after dinner
and observation of after-dinner speeches
will convince anyone that most speakers
neither endure themselves not excite in
their hearers any severe intellectual ef-
fort. In fact, the experience of countless
generations. from the red Indian of the
woods to the white-shirted diners of a
modern party, has perpetuated the lesson
that man should not eat alone, nor think
much at this time, but should talk and be
talked to while he feeds. Most people do
not think much when they talk and talk
ing Is natural accompaniment of eating
and drinking.
HOW uOeS IL ldfe WITH the many solitary
women of today?, No better, we know.
than with the men, but differently Alone
or not, man may generally be trusted
at any rate to take food enough. (We sup
pose, of course. that he can get it With
woman it is different. She is more emo
tional. more imaginative and less inclined
to realize the gross necessities of existence.
Therefore the woman doomed to dine alone
as often as not does not dine at ALL She
gets dyspepsia because her digestion has
not sufficient practice; man gets 1t be-
cause his functions practice it too often in
the wrong way. Men and women are gre
garious animals. Physically and intelIec-
tually we improve with eompanionship,
Certainly it is not good to eat and to drink
alone. 1t is a sad fact of our big cities
that they hold hundreds of men and wo-
men who in the day are too busy and at
night too lonely to feed with profit, much
less with any pleasure.