The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-27
We EAT TOO Mich BREAD.
Contention of DR.. VIM. Maclay Lyon,
Formerly. of Topeka


Dr. William MaclasH Lyon of Kansas
City, whose parents live in Topeka and
who spent nearly all his life here. read
a paper last week before the Missouri
Institute of Homeopathy that created
something of a sensation because of his
attack on the most common articles Of
diet. DR.. Lyon is a specialist in dis
eases of the stomach and his subject
was on diseases OF the stomach.
He said in part:
Americans as race are dyspeptic
If you do not subscribe to this, ask the
first Ave men you meet If they ever have
trouble with their digestive apparatus,
and 1 will venture that four of them
viii describe to you in detail some form
of dyspepsia, symptoms ad libitum. Go
where you may, you see the Wry faces
of these unfOrtunates, who are battling
with the question of nVlng-all seeking
the predigested' foods, all sorts of
wholesome breads, the vegetarian idea
ali grasping as does drowning man
at a straw. every new hint or sugges-
ton of wholesome food which IS adj
vertised as being absolutely agreeable to
the most delicate stomach and adding
that an ounce of this or that preparation
equals in nutritive strength one pound
of juicy. brOiled sirloln steak Did 1t
ever occur to you that we crowd too
much nutrition down our gullets2
Who knows but that at some future
time we may be able to carry around in
our vest pockets concentrated food
equal in nutritive value to a herd of
beef steers with a tablet to swallow
composed of digestive ferments which
will digest it for US and thus solve the
problem of eating.
Since the majority of digestive dis
orders are prOba bly, due to faulty starch
digestion. let US consider this phase or
the subject. it is my contention that
the average Individual eats more bread
than is wholesome to the digestive econ
omy. and thereby damages the aliment-
airy tract, besides inhibiting the nutri-
ton. and causing untold suffering. L
care not whether it be bakers bread
Ralston, wholewheat, graham or moth
er's famous bake. bread, so long consid-
cred the staff of life, may yet be called
/ the staff of death.
amount of proteids, and an excessive
quantity of starch food (bread), there
+ occurs an Indigestion which the laity
I positively declare is caused by the
/ faulty action of the gastric juice on the
albumin. gluten and fbrin. yet the fer
/ mentation and arrested digestive pro-
cess will probably be found to be due to
! the presence of too much starch food,
which delays the other processes and SO
( causes the discomfort
i believe that more than half the
/ people are unable properly to digest
4 even small quantity of starch food.
The chief benefit of an accurate dag
nOsis to ascertain whether the condition
be functional or organic, is the aid 1t
affords in the selection of diet which
will not only give the least irritation to
the disordered digestive apparatus, but
/ viii yield the proper nourishment. and
so aid our medicinal treatment in assist
ing nature to establish the normal func-
tons
Il consider bread and other starch
foods contraindicated in fully 80 per
cent of stomach disorders which the
ractitioner treats. BY this I do not
make exception to the 'predigested' ex-
ira baked foods which resemble excel
sior. hay and horse feed.
Again let me urge that every case
should be individualized and the food
Fl selected, not from some diet list but
from a rational conclusion based on in
i teIligent diagnosis. Then the medicinal
treatment of great Importance to be
sure is sfmplified, and satisfactory re
suits may be expected