The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-11-23

men of our nation who have done
much to inform us as to the proper
methods of eating is Horace Fletcher.
"At the age of forty he was an old
man, on the way to a rapid decline.
His hair was white, he weighed 217
pounds, he was narrowed with indi-
gestion and had that tired feeling
At the age of sixty, after eleven years
Of experiment, he had reduced his
weight to ITO pounds, felt strong and
well, and had for gotten what 1t was
to have the tired feeling. His expert
ence thus was similar to that OF Ital-
ian nobleman, Luigi Connaro CAST
1860, who was a dissipated wreck at
the age of forty, but who by reform
ing his way OF eating, regained his
health and lived to be nearly hun
dred. His wisdom may be summed
up in these words: AS you grow older
eat Less" Edison, who has made it
daily practice, follows the teachings
of Comaro, as did his father and
grandfather. It has become an es-
tablished fact that If we will eat slow
ly, and masticate our food thorough,
the tendency to over eat is largely
overcome. Over eating is a great
fault Of the majority of people. One
of the best ways Of correcting this
bad habit is a greater interest in the
selection and preparation Of food. AS
Henry Finch writes in his excellent
monograph Food and Flavor" In all
cases be the food simple or the out
come of a French chefs culinary al
chemy, it is flavor made it (food)
agreeable and by so doing stimulates
the flavor Of the juices necessary for
proper digestion. In the case Of the
mouth and its salivary glands this is
obvious to all. Everybody knows
that the fragrance of good food makes
the mouth water" In the case Of the
stomach, the connection is less obvi-
Gus. Until a few years ago even the
medical men were in the dark on this
extremely important aspect OF the
question, although French and German
psychologists had made important dis
coveries. Professor Pawlow Of st.
Petersburg, Russia, however, has made
the greatest scientific discoveries re-
garding appetite and digestion. The
results Of his research work have
taught US the Importance Of prepar-
ing our foods so that they have
fragrance and a savouryness. Also
the importance of the appearance of
food to the sight and its effects upon
digestion He has showed how excite
ment at mealtime retards proper di-
gestion A meal consisting of simple
foods properly eaten affords the body
more nourishment than heavy meal
eaten in a mechanical manner An
other common fault with most families
is the lack of variety Of foods served.
King Philip, the Fifth of Spain en-
gagged FarinelIi the most famous So
calist of his time, tn sing four songs
for him, without change of any kind,
every evening for ten years. He was
not in his right mind, las matter OF
course, one feels tempted to add,
and yet are there not at this day, and
in this country, many thousands OF
persons whose variety in the matter
of food is similarly restricted Breed
ers of fine animals have discovered
that nothing is so conducive to health
and other desirable qualities as variety
in the food given. A monotonous diet
soon pals on the appetite, fails to
stimulate the digestive organs, and
the result is dyspepsia, loss of pleas
ure, energy, and earning power, and
the shortening of life. "At confer
ence on diet in schools held in Lon
DON all the speakers agreed that
'rnonotony is the most fatal thing to
digestion in both young and old, and
that the knowledge that such and such
a dish must inevitably come on Mon
day and such and such another on
Tuesday, is destructive beforehand to
appetite which is essential to good di-
gestion and nutrition. The impor-
lance of the study of food and its re-
lation to bodily health is so extensive
that it is beyond the confines Of the
present topic to discuss, but sufficient
to say that a business mans success
depends greatly upon his~meals and
the enjoyment of the same.
Another detrimental I factor in re-
gard to business anxiety is the misuse
of the nervous system producing a
condition that is commonly spoken OF
as "overworl<.'' 1t is the over tension
of our nervous system that is referred
to. In it's most evident form we first
notice it In insomnia. After ar
duous DAYS work the business man
returns home only to find himself ex-
cited and unable to sleep. The events
of the day continue to cross his
mind" and may be for hours he re-
mains awake, lying in bed, before the
desired rest is obtained. 1t is usual
for this condition to be worse after
a heavy days work and especially at
a time when sleep is most needed;
that the person may be in a good con-
dition to continue the next days work
Upon awakening, though, the 'oody
continues to feel fatigued, the mind
''rnuddled" and the desire for rest
urgent. The question is, how is re-
lief to be obtained.
The answer is,-by relaxation. One
of the first signs of weakening OF the
nervous system is q. condition spoken
Of as irritable weakness" When any
living matter is irritated 1t assumes
a state of contraction. When the
nervous centres are IN the above men
toned state they cause the muscula-
ture and organs that they are asso-
ciated with to assume a state OF con-
traction. the degree depending upon
the amount Of irritation present