The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-12-26
From the New York Times.

From the New York Times.
 N N English physician has raised a (P1V hornets nest about his own
 I ears and greatly excited the Scottish subjects of his majesty by grave ly asserting in the columns Of the Lonooh Daily Mail that instead of being whole- come and nutritious food oatmeal porridge Is rapidly attaining the proportions or a national curse" This characterization ol food staple which has attained recog- nized pace in the contemporaneous die tarv as curse from any point of view vo,,ld seem to involve some exaggeration. Very likely more has been claimed Tor porridge as the equivalent of beef than It's real value for detetic purposes would warrant, but it undoubtedly has it's place in the domestic economy and very lm- portant place it has become. It seems to be the one breakfast cereal which wears we'll" and while perhaps a little hearty for large consumption i'll summer, it could not very we'll be spared as food for either horses or men.
 But as with any other good thing 1t IS doubtless possible to overdo the oatmeal habit, and it is open to question whether it can safely be made sole or even principal dependence. An eminent Scotch physician comes to the defense Of his English colleague and ventures the assertion that the oatmeal diet of Glas- gow children Is directly and solely re- sponsible for the prevalence of rickets in that city. If he is right. oatmeal is not inc efficient bone-forming food which 1t has been considered He further says:
 Tickets is enormously on the increase in England, especially among the poorer classes, who, misled as to the value of oatmeal as a food. give it to their children for breakfast, and so fill them up with a stogy and insufhciently nourishing food. instead of more easily digested things such as bread, neat and milk, less quantity of which would supply far more nutriment People who feed their chil- dren on oatmeal are literally starving them Oatmeal is one of the greatest blessings the medical profession have ev- CT known. It fills their surgeries and it increases their incomes. What the effect of its increased popularity will be on the national physique, though, I am afraid to think.
 Here are statements which are either true or false. In either case the matter is of interest to some millions of Ameri- can mothers who have established oat- meal porridge as the staple of the nurs- cry and who are long way from desir- ,ng to inflict a "curse'' upon children
 . they value. Since we have made It tonic of breakfast table conversation, the family physician is likely to be called unon to give an expert opinion on the subiect and for this he would do well to qualify by study of it's lit Dtarature. It is not A matter concerning which the medi- cal adviser of a family can conseien- tiously give an ill-considered or ignorant opinion. An English physician of stand ing who has the courage of his convic- tions in that he is willing to be quoted, says:
 | When a man comes to me suffering from | indigestion say: Do you eat oatmeal?'' | In answer to the Yes which l antici- pate. I reply. Drop it. That is all the dieting I prescribe. If people would eat more meat and less messes like porridge