Evening star., 1902-02-25
FOODS AFFECT EYES
RABBITS That FEED ON NIGHT
SHADE ARE DANGEROUS.
over-Indulgenee in Sugar Bad for the
Visica-Alum Destroys
the Teeth.

From the London Mall. /"
The effects of Opart4e,..ar foods on the
body are sometimes vary curious. Rabbit
pie, for instance, ,>has been known to pro-
duce blindness in allZthe members of a
large family. The reason assigned is not
That there is anything unwhoiesone in the
rabbit himself. but that this little animal
1eeos and thrives on the deadly nightshade
"a plant which is violently poisonous to
human beings. The rabbits flesn becomes
saturated with the poison-caIled beiladonna
-ahd Is. or course, unfit for human food.
One of the effects of belladonna is to dilate
the pupil. so that the eye cannot accommo-
date itself to vision of near objects. and
when. by repeated feastings rabbit pie,
this diiation is kept up for some time al
most total blindness ensues
Cause of Cataract.
Many other foods seriously injure the
sight Consumption of sugar in large guam
uues' Ior instance. very often causes cata-
ract This Seems improbable, but it is
easily demonstrated The lens of the eye
is little bag of perfectly clear and trans
parent fluid. Sometimes the fluid becomes
gradually thick and opaque. with the nat
ulaI consequence of destroying vision-and
tiiS cohdiuR is called cataract. Now.
Wheh tne blood is overloaded with sugar.
mere is a strong tendency to its deposit in
tne lens OF the eye. Hence .-.ose who in
4ulse III confectionery. jams. sweet pud-
uiiisS ana the lie almost sure to suf-
Ter more or less dimness of vision which
ma! deFe!oD into cataract in Old age. BY
:nJec,ins sugar into the eyes of animals.
ara by covering them for some hours with
4 solution of sugar doctors have actually
produced cataract
Alum III Bread
brcad. as We often get il from the mod
c al F,,,.
minor ailments. The alum which it almost
invariably contains, has the result of at
hfst constructing the blood vessels and
after a time. dlating them Some Of the
consequences of chronic Gilaticn OF the
biood vessels arc red and ugly faces and
purple ana swollen noses. Another unde-
silaple sra eIect produced by alum is destruc-
tlGh "i the enamel of the teeth. Any one
VINO eats bakers bread will find it neces-
SafS 20 employ the services of the dentist
at an age when all his teeth should be
perfectly sound. Bread is sometimes cop
SlderabiE adulterated with sulphate Of CON
per inis drug. taken in large quantities.
causes Jaundlce. And. consamcd habituai-
~ .t breakfast. luncheon and dinner. it
cannot but have the result of making the
SKIN muddy and yellow.
Ergot in Rye.
What is called "ercotism'' is = very, oon,-
mon disease i'll Russia, and probably we
Is generally supposed. though in mild de-
gree. Ergot is a fungus which grows on
rye, taking the form or the grain. So that it
is not perceived without close inspection.
IL is Il Niruent poison and even in the
smallest quantities has most unpleasant eff
lects. Here are few of the symptoms
produced, and any one who sufers from
them after breakfast may reasonably sus-
pee: the staff of LIFE r nging In the ears.
!.tiG" F'sion. slight sauinting, headache
gi0uinesS and great Slfepntss
1hGt chronic cold in the head and sore
eyes should result from the morning rasher
or the evening Slice Of ham seems rather
Eilprobahic. Yet il is not at all unlikely
Iigs II is well known. can eat any quantity
o1 arse 1ic and grow fat on it. Tnev are
frequently fed on brewers grains and
brt Wers grains are seldom free from ar
senic But arsenic is stored up IN the flesh.
ara "hen We come to eat the bacon we are
very lEely to suffer disastrous results. of
which the least sore eyes and cold in
the head.
Arsenic and Glucose.
These two affections, together with neu-
raig:a, loss Of appetite. pain in the heart
not to speak of pcriphe raj neuritis which
has lately been so much to the f0re-mav
be caused by an immense variety of foods
Since the discovery that glucose can he
substituted for sugar that inferior article is
very largely used. Unfortunately il is liza
hle to contain arsenic in considerable ouan
tfY, and tic result to the consumer NAV
be easily ina gined. Golden syrup is often
glucose and nothing else, jams are some
times wholly sweetened by it, sweets are
made Of it. beer is brewed from it
The natural function Of beer is to cauce
IhghtnesS OF the head and loss of power of
the lower limbs But when il produces
these symptoms to an uneXpe cted degree
one may be sure that it contains coccuIus
indicus. the effects Of which are thus med
really described. And If a beer drinker
finds the whites of his eyes turning yellow
and his body growing thin he may rest as
Sured that there is some of the powerful
explosive, picrc acid, in his glass