Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1909-01-07


may find here the hitherto unaccount-
able reason for the shortness OF HUI
man life. And II this be the cause. we
must find all the noted cases OF lon
gevity among those people whose diet
is the simplest. Metchnikoff has
found the. largest percentage OF cen
tenarians among the Hungarian peas
ants. living largely on black bread.
Among the Irish peasantry. living
chiefly on potatoes, centenarians are
numerous. The noted cases OF lon
gevlty in England were all among the
peasantry, living on q very simple diet.
The most noted OF centenarians, Cor
naro, the Venetian, prolonged life 90
years by restricting his diet to a uni
form quantity Of eggs and unferment-
ed wine, almost exclusively.
Several. monodiet tests recently
made under the writer's direction
showed, as would naturally be expect
ed, II the principles above stated are
true. remarkable results. Edgar Brobst,
a foundryman, eating only beans for
60 days, gained eight pounds In
weight, working Sundays, two nights
and several evenings extra during the
period. On a 40 days diet Of oatmeal
there was a gain of three pounds and
better general conditions Of health.
DR.. Landone OF Los Angeles, CAL, re-
ported a gain in weight living on cac-
tus for ten days. On returning to
his former mixed diet Brobst lost four
pounds in ten days. Gan exclusive diet
of beans would be injurious, and In no
case is a one-sided diet Of beans, pea
nuts, meat or graham bread advis-
able.)
The question naturally arises: Are
not most of our foods complex in them
selves, including milk and that near.
est the perfect food. wheat?
Necessarily the infants food must
contain all the elements essential to
life and growth; but these are harmo-
niously combined as are all the .ele-
ments of nutrition, except fat, in
wheat. Yet SKINNED milk (from
which the animal fat, not easily assim-
Hated, has been extracted) is more
easily digested than entire milk.
White bread, from which the proteid
has been largely removed, digests
more easily than entire wheat flour
bread, toasted white bread without
butter) being common diet for in
valids; yet cornmeal bread, which is
almost pure proteid, is easily d.
gested.
1t is admitted that, from the scien-
tiic viewpoint, the Chinese are the
best fed people in the world. Only
their mind-dwarfing system Of educa.
ton has prevented their dominating
the world. The Japanese, living large.
~ on q monodiet of rice, with better
mental conditions. bid fair to become
a ruling race. The Scotch, living
largely on oatmeal, have won distinc
ton in science, invention and philos'
ophy for centuries. The worlds mas
terpieces originate never in the BAN
ouet hall. but often in the garnet, fed
by dry crusts.
During the past ~ months have
eaten almost exclusively but one ar
ticle at a meal-rice, whole-wheat
bread, peanuts, bananas, beans, pota'
toes (baked), apples, and, as a rule
nuts at noon and fruit in the evening
my regular diet-and have enjoyed
perfect health and increased eff
cheney.
The human system has developed a
wonderful power Of adaptation to en-
vironment, food included. Evolution
has produced in man an inhabitant oil
all climates, capable Of subsisting on a
great variety of foods. The diet OF the
average American is not. a uniform
one, but a continually changing diet
This is true not of the traveller only
who may lunch in Chicago and dine In
Kalamazoo, but equally Of the society
woman who may dine at home to-day
and tomorrow at the church, and oil
the business man or woman who eats
at a restaurant or hotel. The only
system the average person has in eat
ing Is that of having no system, com
paratively speaking.
If, however, one has long been in
the habit of drinking cup or two OF
coffee in the morning, for instance
the dropping of that stimulant will
cause, for awhile, the same incon
venience that the habitual user Of in