The Oskaloosa herald., 1914-03-05

Dettef rnan lie average man. Dut, ne
was victim OF a condition that
makes men maniacs at times aud
which could be easily controlled and
removed If, we. knew, half as much
about human nutrition as we do about
the other ordinary branches of modern
science. ,......... ...., lf.t
1t would be difficult for the person
who has never felt the depression Of
nervous Indigestion or the horrors OF
melancholia to comprehend how such
a crime could be. committed without
criminal. intention behind it. but any
experienced physician will tell you
that the great majority Of suicides and
insanity cases and many crimes orig
mate in the digestive organs. vi
During my professional work hun
dreds Of people have come to me and,
describing their condition, have in sub
stance said. II must have relief or,
will be compelled to end it," The ma
jority Of these people had no financial
or social trouble. but their stories all
boiled down would read something like
this Everything eat ferments.
turns sour and makes gas. have no
rest day or night. | am almost COM
pletely incapacitated for business.
While | am awake | have Fremont
tons Of disaster and horrible things all
the time. and when ! am asleep | am
tOrmented by grewsome dreams.
feel that my mind has about all 1t can
stand, and unless I get relief it will
give way completely and ! shall be-
come totally insane. At times | feel
very WELL, at other times everything IL
dark and hopeless. cannot keep out
Of my mind the thoughts. What's the
use OF living:' Why not end it alp
These thoughts are becoming more fire.
quent and" more depressing. and II |
do not get relief fear will some day
end all Of this trouble"
A working man came to me for treat
ment not long since and during his ex-
animation confessed that the night be-
fore it was with the greatest difficulty
he restrained himself from numbering
his wife and child He said that after
supper they were sitting around their
| little stove In their four room cottage.
A Ratchet was lying under the stove.
the gas in his stomach began to form.
the sour water began to rise In his
throat. his stomach was burning as
with fever. and he looked at the
Ratchet and the wife and the child and
found himself reaching for 1t with the
single thought OF murder. He told me
this story while the tears streamed
| from his eyes. He was kind hearted
Il nd sympathetic man, who had never
been accused Of a wrong thing. but the
opportunity. the fermenting mass or
food, the stomach almost ahre with
acid. came nearly making OF him the
vilest Of criminals. ~.
This condition had been caused by
acid fruit. oatmeal. sugar and cohee
in the morning. beer and cold lunch
at noon and delicatessen supper in
the eyening-in other words. wrong eat
ing. These causes were removed. and
he was restored to perfectly normal
health inside OF month.
| What men do under these conditions
depends largely upon their temprra
ment. Some will do violence to them
selves or others. while some will plod
on day In and day out until the condi-
| ton becomes chronic. unbearable and
their reason will become dethrOned
and they will join the ranks OF the in
sane. ... ...:.
Thousands OF people believe these
| fits OF melancholia to be the first
symptoms Of insanity. and rather than
| face confinement in an institution. sep.
aration from their loved ones aud os-
tracism from society they deliberately
take their own lives. H.
People in good circumstances. or
what is termed good livers." are more
often the victims OF these conditions
than the poor. They either will not
deny themselves what they term the
good things" or there il nobody to
warn them OF the approaching danger.
The total number Of deaths in the
United Suites in 1909 from all causes
was but little over Il million, yet. ac-
cOrding to the latest statistics we have
On classification. there were about
650. 900 people who died Of the follow
ing diseases: Apoplexy, heart disease.
impaired circulation. cirrhosis OF the
liver. appendicitis and stomach and
intestinal trouble.
All OF these are what might be term
ed food Diseases that Is to say. dis
eases caused by perverted nutrition.
In addition to this number of deaths
that were accounted for. there still re-
/ mains the uncOnnted thousands who
are afflicted with disorders so remote
from the stomach that the average
physician unframed in dietetcs does
not trace the disease back to its true
| origin.
An example of this kind may be
found in ordinary rheumatic cOndi-
| tons. A person habitually eats more
food than is necessary, consisting OF
white bread. breakfast foods. meat
coffee. acid fruits and sweets. The
acid fruit and uric acid In the mea t
crystalline the starch atom and pro-
duce the blood crystal made famous
by the late Dr. SaIsbery. These small
blood crystals in the process OF cirru.
latiOn lodge in the small capillaries
throughout the body. II the cOngps-
| ton takes place in the muscles II is