The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-05-20
ELECTRICITY AS
A FUTURE FOOD
Surprising Results Of Expert.
TnentS In France.
BODILY ENERGY IS SAVED.

Scientist Demonstrates, In a Measure,
That Eating Is Not Necessary to Life.
Patients Show Great Improvement
Under Observation-Disclosures Due to
MaInutrition May Be Banished.
To speak of using electricity as a
food may seem most absurd at the
present time, but experiments recently
conducted in France indicate that such
is possibility of the future.
For long time scientists have been
looking for a cure which will do away
with some of the multiple ailments Of
the human body and have been univer-
sally Of the opinion that If food could
be in more condensed form it would
be absorbed with less fatigue and dis
comfort. The principle of electricity
acting as food value is that it adds
to the heat energy of the stomach so
that much less food has to be taken
into the body.
Currents Applied to Body.
His method is called "diathermy,"
and he applies frequent currents to the
human body, so that, instead Of heat
having to be produced from food ma
terials which need to be consumed and
burned in the system and thus give
rise to much Overwork of the organs,
the artificial method produces the same
heat at much less injurious cost to the
general condition of health.
These electric currents, he says, pass
through the body without the least
feeling. The current is of two or three
amperes strength and voltage Of 1000
to $500 volts an hour, and this amount
of electricity equals one-third of the
daily food value which should be con-
sumed by one person.
He applied the first test to a man
who was in bad physical condition.
The patient at the time was eating too
much animal food, but was unable to
work, was sensitive to heat and cold
and could not walk thirty feet without
aid. His height was five feet ten inch
es, and he weighed 110 pounds.
After a series of treatments he be-
gan to improve rapidly and in short
time gained thirty pounds, was able to
walk for hours without much wearf
ness and had, in fact, regained all of
his normal vigor.
Bergonie has also made many other
similar tests and finds that the results
are universally good and that as soon
as the amount of food taken into the
system is reduced and the current of
electricity substituted the improvement
is immediate.
He considers that the time will come
when all ailments due to insufficient
nutrition and malnutrition will disap-
pear under a series of electric treat
ments of high frequency currents.
Electricity For Plants.
Another example of the strange uses
to which experts are putting electricity
is the method of growing plants by in
door electrical apparatus This device
costs but a small sum to build and can
be operated in any room which is light
ed by electricity.
1t consists of two small coils of wire
connected TO a lighting circuit and also
to another coil of larger wire which
surrounds the wooden frame in which
the plants are to be kept.
Within this frame are mounted sew
eral shelves, upon which are placed
boxes holding the seeds and plants to
be forced. Then, when the current is
turned on, the space inside is silently
agitated by the electrical discharge of
high frequency.
This action causes the seed and plant
to grow with great rapidity and to
reach a size larger than ordinary. The
treatments are given several times a
day and last about half an hour each
|