The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-20
Alimentatlon In Man and Beast.

Faddists in Connecticut have not only
accepted without question the undemon-
strated theory of mans evolution from
the monkey, but also they have revised
the Bible. We read that at Ansonia
many persons Of both sexes who suffer
from indigestion and other intestinal all
ments are being treated by the "Nebu-
chadneZZar cure meaning thereby that
they move around on "an fours" for d
fixed time each day. Old Nebuchad-
nezzar We know was condemned TO go
on 'all Tours and eat grass because he
was a hardened sinner. He doubtless had
dyspepsia, rheumatism. and govt as most
hardened sinners do. but it was not for
the purpose Of curing his evil maladies
that he was compelled against his wish
10 make a beast OF himself.
The faddists aver that the theory back
Of their cure is that in the course of evo-
luton man was a quadruped before he
was a bipeds that certain ills were &C
quired after he began TO walk erect, and
that chimpanzees and gorilIss do not
know what indigestion is. We are not
sufficiently versed in simian lore 10 deny
or approve this latter assertion. The
pithecoiG anatomy is constructed on plans
and specifications so different from that
Of man that we suspect its digestive ap-
paratus is quite as inadequate to meet
the demands of Authorization forced upon
his own by the gourmaud homo as the
latter's is. The anthropoidal ape displays
more sense in the matter OF eating than
Is shown by most Of the representatives
Of the highest primate in the scheme Of
creation. Horses. dogs, and other domes-
ticated animals suffer from indigestion.
because their owners frequently do not
feed them properly. When left to their
own resources, these quadrupeds select a
diet suited to their digestion, and II by
any mischance Illness befalls, they have
their own apOthecaries upon which to
draw for specific remedies. Mankind goes
whining and groaning to one OF the
genus called doctor when its inwards
revolt at the contents erammed into them
merely for the delectation of the palate
and not for the simple purpose of sus-
tenance. Then, again, mankind shows its
lack OF sense by Overeating. 1t is the
only animal that does The human takes
It's food in concentrated or tabloid form.
and gOrges into its stomach a variety Of
ailments three or four times a day which
must needs put a greater strain upon the
elements of digestion-the secretions Of
various funcuons-than nature Intended.
We may, therefore. hope for no perma-
nent alienation from the ills of the
stomach which aflict the race until we
manifest an order Of intelligence as high
as that displayed by the lower forms of
animals in the matter Of eating. Initiating
the quadrupeds merely in respect Of loco
motion won't effect the desired cure. Man
was made TO walk erect; and even if Il
were susceptible of proof that he has
been evolved from the monkey. reversion
20 the anthropoids manner of IoconotIon
would do no good for in the process of
this so-cailed evolution the digestive sys-
TEN. quite as much as the muscular and
osteopathic systems. must have been fitted
to his needs Nature makes no mistakes.
Ii is only civilization that departs from
the safe and sure fundamentals.