Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-03-15
The Salt
of Life
ny woODs HUTCHINSON. N d.

PART ].
One service which chloride Of sodium
renders in the body Il rather curious
one. II was learned thousands OF years
ago In the stern school OF experience that
salt was one Of the absolute necessaries
OF life, not merely for human beings.
but for all domestic and many other
animals.
This has been burned into the language
OF every race and continent In such
terms as the salt OF life.' attic salt
mot worth hts salt" below the salt
etc. Wages were even paid In salt, ~
our term salary sull indicates, and
salt taxes we're one Of the surest and
cruelest means OF raising revenue, be-
cause people, particularly the peasautry.
must have II or 80 mad
But It was also known that there were
some peculiar exceptions TO the rule of
indispensRblenoss OF salt, Many savage
tribes, particularly In rather far north
ern ATTITUDES care very little for IT,
while oven among domestic animals
some species, dogs and cats and poultry.
for instance. either have no appetite for
Il or positively dislike H. While on the
other hand. Of course, horscs. cattle and
sheep on pasture become almost crazy
for salt n deprived OF Il, and most tropi-
cal tribes will take a mans life for a
handful OF salt
Some twenty years ago the great physi-
ologist BunFe made a careful study OF
these discrepancies and analysed speoi-
mems Of the blood and OF tho urine OF
hundreds OF both animals OF various spe-
cies and Of human beings deprived OF
or fed on large amounts OF common salt
Ito succeeded in finding n full and COM
plete explanation OF these apparent DIFF
ferences and proving the utility OF calf
as separate substance In the diet, al
though his findings have not yet pene-
trated the intelligence OF several schools
OF so-called diet reformers.
The first thing that he discovered was
that tho natural appetite for salt de-
pended entirely upon the character Of the
diet and that. roughly speaking. those
animals or tribes Of human beings which
lived solely or even chiefly upon flesh,
which. OF course includes fish and game
had little use for the sait-ccliar. because
they received a sufficient supply OF thil
precious substance for their bodily
nttON IN NnSlf lOOus Us TINS NonHleht0 VI
the flesh and blood OF other animals.
birds and fishes which were already sur
ficiently "salted." No carnlvorous AMI.
mails. either wild OF tame, care for salt.
nor usually salt meats.
This explains at once why II was that
the hunting tribes OF our American In.
dams In tho north and northwest cared
very little for salt and only used II when
they happened 10 have some chance sup
ply of hominy or pumpkins or potatoes.
Their favorite flavorlng. In fact for stews
and ragouts OF meat was not salt but
sugar. which the suuaws would shake
into the pot eagerly n they possessed II.
In the form OF maple sugar OF cane sugar.
Upon their long hunting trips the
braves frequently carried a cake of maple
sugar tucked inside their hunting shirt
with which they favored their venison OF
trout. Just as We would with salt and
pepper
On the other hand. the broad rule
could be laid down that herbivorous ami
mails and human races who live largely
upon a vegetble diet were absolutely de-
pendent upon salt and suffered severely
In health II they could not get Il In CON
sidrable amounts.
This was illustrated not merely by most
OF our domestic animals. but also by the
fact that deer. elk and bison were eager
for salt and came scores Of miles to
salt hcks 70 secure II. where our pio-
neer hunters would most basely lie in
wait and shoot them. But hero at first
sight was a puzzle. because grains, fruits.
roots and most other vegetable sub
stances all contained considerable
amounts OF common salt Chloride of So
dunn. enough. in fact. to furnish appar-
emily sufficient supply for the needs OF
the human body.