The National tribune., 1910-08-04
METHODS OF PROLONGING LIFE.
Plans Hitherto Proposed for Improving
and Extending Human Existence.
Uric Acid Control.

Various psychologists have conceived
the idea that one might accomplish
about what he desires with his own
organism il only the waste products of
the system could be controlled and
properly eliminated.
| Notably is this the opinion of Dr.
Alexander Haig, one of the most prom
linent physicians of London, who has
written O score or more of books and
articles on the evils as Well as benefits
of uric acid. a factor in kidney excre-
ton. In his view the normal control
of uric acid would result in preventing
not only equity and rheumatic diseases.
but practically all others, even tuber-
culer taints and disorders.
| TT will surprise some," he says, ''to
see such diseases as phthisis and pneu-
monia included; but uric acid, by con-
ltroiling metabolism and combustion
and such troubles as chronic catarrh
and Inflammation of mucous MEM
branes. in many instances determines
whether microbes should be destroyed
or live. and thus practically decides the
incidence and course of microbic dis
eases"
i Three sources of uric acid are recog-
niZed by DIR. Haig, two within the Or
ganism-one where it is directly intro
duced in the blood from broken-dOwn
tissue and the other where it is stored
in the system; the third source chiefly
Accordingly. while he advocates the
control of uric acid when necessary by
the use of medicines, his strong point
is in urging the disuse of foods which
icontain it.
AS In similar cases of discovery. DIR.
Hafg'S conclusions were the result of a
personal experience, headache-or,
more exactly, migraine, where one-half
the head only aches at time-which
induced him to relinquish various arti-
cles of food one after another till milk
and cheese constituted his only animal
foods.
I'VE can demonstrate" he says, that
headache can be produced by swallow
ing either uric acid or half dozen
forms of xanthin (yellow crystals SINH
lar in composition) in known quantity,
and that this and all its symptoms re-
main absent if the blood is kept in a
state of physiological purity and free
dom from uric acid -(absolute freedom
being, of course, impossible)."
One article of diet especially Dr. Haig
considers as almost equivalent to uric
acid itself. That, strangely enough, is
one upon which DIR. Beverwyck van
Beverovicius in the latter half of the
18th century, wrote a treatise to prove
was the elixir of life-tea
| Relative freedom can be produced" :"
DR.. Haig says, "either by diet free from
the poisonous xanthins of flesh and
| tea and similar substances (Which is by
far the best way or by other drugs
which clear the blood by elimination
thru the kidneys.
with reference to tea I have the
following interesting note from Mr..
Darcy Power, who says: Have you
ever read Walpole's letters? When
ever he has an attack of gout he at
tributes 1t to tea and stops taking it,
This, then. shows that tea has not al
ways been thought to be merely a
cheering, harmless beverage"
AS the base of tea (thein) is almost
identical chemically with the base of
] coffee, and as the alkaloids of choco-
| late and cocoa are similar, DR.. Haig
rigidly excludes them all as articles of
| diet.
There are some terribly long names
used in the scientific nomenclature of
this subject. Just think of taking
mouthful of a substance involving tri-
methylxanthin, and then finding it just
a swallow of coffeei
| DIR. Haig punches many of these
names together as practically the same
thing. He says: 1T makes absolutely
no difference whether a man swallows
two grains of hypoxanthin, xanthin,
caffein, theobromin or uric acid, all
these substances alike producing OBJ
structed capillaries high blood pres
sure, headache. mental depression,
scanty secretions and large excretiou
\ Of substance estimated as uric acid
by' Haycroft's process"
| DIR. Haig has studied uric acid until
\ he has discovered that it is, in his
| Judgment, one of the most powerful
agencies in vital action. Here is one
lof several equally strong statements:
IF my premises are good and my de-
ductions sound, and if uric acid infiu-
| ences the circulation to the extent
W p 1ad IN hnli hot
| ii does, 1t follows that uric acid really
| dominates the function, nutrition and
| structure of the human body to an ex-
4 tent which has never been dreamed Of
in our philosophy, and in place of af-
fecting few insignificant fibrous It's
sues in which it is found after death it
may really direct the development, life
history, final decay and dissolution of
every tissue. from the most important
| nerve centers and the most active
glands 10 the matrix of the nails ard
the structure Of the skin and hair"
The influence of common salt has
| been urged by others In much the same
light as DIR. Haig regards uric acid, SO
that his opinion of the former is of
interest. He says: ''Dr Brafthwaite
suggests that excess of salt III diet is
a probable factor in the causation of
cancer dancet, 1901-2), and this in
terests me because salt is, like other
SdilS VI d picCipltdUI
uric acid and hinders its excretion, thus
having similar action to that of the
metals and opposite action to that of
potatoes. Brainthwaite says that
whenever cancer exists two at least of
four factors must be present. One of
these is salt in some excess; the other
is local irritant.' There cannot, I
think, be doubt that uric acid is just
such an irritant, and salt makes it so
by retaining it in the body. while pcta-
TO makes il less by eliminating 1t thru
the kidneys DIR. Braithwaite
would attribute the cancer among ma
tives of India to their eating salt. but
III attribute it to their pulse diet. the
uric acid in which is retained and
Accumulated by salt"
DR.. Haig states further that he him
self has given up the practice of eating
salt almost entirely, which has relieved
fhim of all tendency to nasal catarrh,
and that while he has known a single
case in which dyspepsia resulted from
its dsuse in general its use is harmful
Prof. Francis H. McCrudden, of the
laboratory of physiological chemistry at
the Cambridge Medical School, in a
recent work on Uric Acid" concludes
that DIR. Haig's views are entirely I'M
warranted" While conceding it's prob
able agency in certain diseases and the
need of its elimination. he does not find
(by process different from DR. Haig's)
uric acid very clearly proven to be the
cause OF even gout.
DIR. George A Gilbert, of Danbury,
Conn, i'll a still later work. "A Text
Book on Uric Acid,' also criticizes DIR.