The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-03

Everybody has heard of food poi
soning, yet few understand how food
may poison one; and few know how
frequently it occurs. Be it known,
then, that food poisoning of greater or
less degree happens daily in every To-
cality. Some there are who contin-
, ually suffer from chronic food poi
soning and who drag out a miserable
existence in consequence.
Gas or flatus, with abdominal dis
tention, is form of food poisoning
that Is frequently attendant upon
gorging, or because of an unbalanced
diet. There are few persons indeed
who have not experienced gastro-in-
festival attacks of moderate severity
which they attribute to something
eaten shortly before. 1t is often pos
sible to name with certainty the Of
Tending food. When the attack is
more than ordinarily serious, neigh
bors hear of the sickness (poisoning),
and when a number of persons are at
fected simultaneously the papers al
most certainly print the fact Most
attacks of food poisoning are usually
slight and recovery early. and so con-
sidered negligible or of trivial i'm
portance. Later, the victim is dis
abused of this idea when headaches
so-called "biliousness," dizziness. spots
before the eyes, muscular pains, roar
ing in the ears, sweaty hands and feet
and other uncomfortable symptoms
appear. Not only sometimes. but
rather frequently, food poisoning
brings about degenerative changes in
tho kidneys or blood vessels. Indeed,
very many kidney and liver diseases
result from repeated or perhaps al
most daily food poisoning. Eczema
may be caused by food poisoning. 1t
is really funny to him who knows this
to hear people ask in drug store for
a Salve or lotion to cure eczema, when
the only cure is to correct the diet.
Here, surely, is a chance to throw
physic to the dogs, and then eat SEN
sibly.
Many cases of food poisoning pro-
coed from bacterial poisons which
have been generated in meat and fish
dishes which have been kept few
hours. If anyone wishes to have prac-
teal experience with food poisoning. 1t
| is a simple matter. Their wish may
| be INDUCED in by preparing from good
| materials some salmon or chicken
salad, keep for twelve or fifteen hours
| in a place which is not extra clean,
and then eat the stuff. And again,
| you may get an equal result by gorg-
| ing with any meat salads. In the last
| instance (gorging) the poison-makine
| microbes, always in contaminated
meats, elaborate poisons in the intes-
! tines, the opportunity DelHS dllOTueu
| because the gorging hinders or over
comes the digestive processes. Where
| digestion is vigorous and food is taken
in moderation, poison making mi
crobes have no chance. Here is the
physiological argument against gorg-
| ing.
Food poisoning-let US call it i'm
| moderate eating, especially of meats
| is given rs the cause of the reduced
| expectancy of life in the United States
It is also one cause Of our reduced
strength. The average strength of the
early pioneers who lived on simple
| foods, sometimes scanty. was greater
| than the present average. Malaria
| played havoc even with the strong
men of that day. but the same amount
of malarial poison introduced into the
| present stock would eXterminate it.
A sum up of the whole matter is:
Foods with poisons formed in them
| before they are eaten, cause not a
| little poisoning. but by far the greater
amount of food poisoning follows i'm
moderate eating, especially immoder-
ate eating of meat. Solomon "goi
| onto this" for he said: BE We not
among riotous eaters of flesh And
he also warns against gluttony over
and over. Meat not more than once a
| day is a good rule to follow. Meat in
this amount will amply meet the
body's needs.
Questions and Answers.
Question Can you tell me if there
is any place where one could go for