Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-02
THE ILLS OF DIGESTION
DISCUSSED BY THE AMERICAN
MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.
insufficient Chewing of Food One of
the Principal Causes Of
Stomach Trouble.

From the New York Independent
People always listen during hot weather
with more equanimity to charges of over
eating so that the recent prominence OF
the subject is at least timely. At the an
nual meeting of the American Medical AS
ISOLATION held In Portland. about the mid
die of July, one of the morning sessions
was occupied almost entirely with a dis
cussion Of the origin of the various diges-
tive ills to which our American people arc
so liable and a definite expression as to
the caus stion of these ailments, by prom
inent physicians from all over the country.
There was practically universal agreement
that the source of most of the Ills to which
the American stomach Is so liable is to be
found in overeating, and especially In the
over-consumption of what Is known as pro-
ted material. The proteids comprise the
heavier portion of the dietary and include
such articles as meat, eggs, cheese, peas and
beans and the like. These are the most
expensive portions of the diet, and 1t was
pointed out that in other countries Where
economy in the matter or food is a more
serious question than 1t is with US much
less of these materials Is consumed as
rule.
OF course, it has often been said that
as nation we overeat. 1t is only In re-
cent years, however, that the persuasion
as to over-consumption of food has been
justified by scientific observations, wmcn
indicate just why and in what manner
overeating Is serious. The work of two
investigators especially was recalled to at
tention in the meeting of the medical sec
ton of the American Medical Association,
and the extreme significance of their re-
suits emphasized. Prof. Chittenden of Yale
University, in book on the physiological
Economy of Nutrition" shows by expert
mental observation on three different series
of individuals, hard workers, those mod
erately occupied and those living sedentary
lives. that scarcely more than one-half as
much proted material is needed In order TO
maintain the body weight and the equilibri-
UNI of nutrition than these people had been
accustomed to use during the time preced-
| ing the observation. Folin, In the Journal
of Physiology, in a series of articles at the
beginning of the present year came to the
same conclusion from the standpoint OF
Physiological chemistry. Both these oD-
servers pointed out that protetd material
is needed by human beings only for the
purpose of building up tissues. 1t is never
needed as an energy producer. The fats
and the sugars represent the energy pro-
ducers. If more proteid material Is con-
sumed than is needed, 1t is simply eXcreted.
but before excretion it exists in the circu-
lation for some time as irritant material and
then throws a lot of needless work on the
excretory organs in getting rid of it.
Eat Slowly.
One feature of the overeating problem
was particularly emphasized. 1t was
pointed out that when persons eat slowly
there is much less tendency to overeat.
If the food Is brought thoroughly in con-
tact with the palate and the various taste
organs on the tongue during the course
of mastcation. then the appetite Is sat
| isfied with much less than when the food
is bolted This is true In general for all
kinds of food, and has been experienced
by every one with regard to the sugars
and fats, but is also emlnently true for
meats and cognate materials, only here
the less amount needed makes the posi-
bility Of over-consumption much easier.
Americans are well known to be a nation
of fast eaters. and especially to have the
| habit of washing down their improperly
masticated food with coffee, Ice water and
| other unsuitable liquids. Hence, the accu-
sation of Insufficient mastication has spe-
| cial significance and was emphasized by
American physicians from all over the coun-
! try.
| is their process of mastication under Or
binary circumstances unless this Is actually
demonstrated to them. Physicians who
| have to treat cases of stomach trouble and
are under the necessity of using stomach
| tube not infrequently find that one of the
| best effects of this method Of investigation
and treatment is the actual demonstration
| to the patient of what large Jumps of ma
| terial are swallowed without having been
masticated. Pieces of potato that some
| times evidently have been entirely UNI
| touched by the teeth are found in the
stomach contents and block up the stomach
| tube, making the evacuation of the stom-
! ach contents very difficult. This same
I thing Is true for most forms of food. I'm
| fortunately for this state of affairs the
| human stomach was not meant to crush
| materials in order to prepare them for
| digestion. The gizzard of the birds is a
| thick muscle. the action Of which. helped
| by the pebbles. which birds instinctively
| swallow, serves to replace other mastica-
| Not wi D6fnp % fn r
| that during the past month, as for centuries
| before, many city boy has been sent by
| his country cousins hunting for hens teeth
none of them has been found. The giz
| teeth. In human beings. however. teeth are
| triumphant gift of provident Mother Ma
| ture, and the stomach Is only thin-walle6
| receptacle for food, with just muscular
| force enough IN 1t to move the gastric con.
| tents on to the intestines, but without any
| active crushing ability.
| Big Pieces Of Food.
| The result is that when unmasticated
| food reaches the stomach 1t fails to pass
| out properly. and as a consequence delay
| of the gastric contents leads. to dilation o,
| the gastric walls. Another and even more
| serious accident sometimes occurs. The
1 pylorus of the stomach, the gate through
| which food passes to the intestine. Is com.
! posed of a rather strong ring of muscular
| fibers When larger pieces OF material ap
| proach this ring they are usually refused
| exit. Occasionally, however irritated by
| the presence of such unusual Jumps the
| pylorus attempts to make up for the lack
! of mastication, and during the egress OF
| such material helps to crush it. After q
| time this exercise of an unusual function
| leads to oyergrowth of the muscular fibers
| of the pylorus, and as consequence the
| opening from the stomach into the intes
| tines becomes tightly shut that ordinary
| liquid material does not readily pass
| through and the consequence is for another
| and more serious reason now. delay the