The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-08-01
The Strawberry is Dangerous.


nate individuals suffer from an lido
syncrasy in regard to the luscious
strawberry which bars them fror1 the
enjoyment of this earliest and most
priced Of our small fruits. To such
We extend the assurance Of our com
miseration. and only wish, for their
sake. that some one had elaborated
an anti-toxin with which they could
sprinkle their berries. and so feast
upon them during the all too short
season without fear Of intestinal or
derm's retribution. But perhaps our
pity is wasted, and it may be that
they are fortunate in their abnormal
ity. Such at least is the view taken
by no less an authority than Metchni-
kof, the Russian savant Of the Pas
teur Institute. In the second of the
| Harben lectures delivered by him at
| Kings College, London, the latter part
of May, he discoursed upon the hy-
giene of the alimentary canal, and
threw new legal light ON what we
have been wont to regard as the bene-
fcient process Of digestion therein.
Noting that a marked increase of
| leucoyetes in the blood occurred dur
| ing the course Of an infectious disease
| he remarked that a similar phenome-
non was observed during tie process
of digestion, and the analogy between
| the two cases was so striking that he4
suggested the disquieting thought that
kind Of Infection. Indeed, he asserted
| boldly that after each repast a GER
tain number of microbes passed
through the intestinal walls and found
their way into the general circulation,
the faithful leacayytes. then n1assing
in force to repel the invasion. These
microbes might effect their entrance
into the circulation through LESSONS in
the intestinal:wal1s and made by sharp
or hard particles Of prescribing bran
bread and other irritating foods in
stead Of gently acting laxatives in the
| treatment Of habitual constipation.
But the chief offender in this respect, 7;
he suggested might be the helninths
which many if not most of us harbor
! in our innocence. These worms, he
said, had been shown to be active
agents in the causation of the ever
present appendicitis. GUARD had sug-
gested that they might serve to inoc-
ulate the mucous membrane with ty-
phoid bacili and other pathogenic n1i- (
crobes, and there was reason to- be-
lieve that entozoa played d role in the
| causation Of certain tumors. 1t was :
] time, therefore, he concluded, to in-s
stitute an energetic campaign against )
intestinal worms Il is 1anifestly I'M
practicable 70 ada veruifuges to the
| fore. direct his energies to the exclu-
sio.l Of the osa of those parasites l5y.
keeping a careful watch over what
he puts into his mouth. And here the
lecturer entered the lists against the
raw food faddists, and, indeed, against Z
all of US who occasionally indulge IN !
salads and other scomestibles which
have not been previously submitted to
a temperature Of 212 degrees.
All food and drink b; contended
should be boiled before be.ry consum-
ed. The tasty salad is, of course, for
bidden. for washing with boiled water 8
is not sufficient, and boiled salad is
unthinkable. And here we. come to
the saddest part. Among fruits this
cibiclast. If we may be pardoned the
term. said. ItEWas principally straw
berries which introduced parasites,
ova and nd.infectious germs into the in.
testinal Canal. It was therefore, nee
essary to boil them.boiled straw
berries! 1t is true, he said, straw
berries might be grown under satis-s
factory hygenic conditions so as to,
permit Of their being consumed raw:E
But to that, end it would be- neces-
sary to watch over the soil and ma S
nure, and to use only irreproachabIe s
fluid for The purpose of water jug.
The conditions are too hard, and it is
evident that the strawberry must go
go to the jamnot we mean This is
subject worthy of one of the scare
leaders of The Lancet" and we leave
to our esteemed contemporary it's
appropriate treatment. If our en-
lightened readers are willing to defy
appendices and leucoytosis. and even
,helminthias, during the few remain
ing days of the strawberry season, we
have nothing more to say. Our duty
is done in placing the facts before