Omaha daily bee., 1922-01-04
VEGETABLES VS.. MEATS.

| nave Wakcu bltter war on ths
custom OF meat eating. A rule
tho food faddists have no standing
among thinking people, because OF
their wild theories and tho wild
things they do.
When IL comes TO influencing the
thoughts OF the times. the yege-
tartan Is about as impotent as the
other members OF the tribe OF food
faddisls.
But every now and then some
tidbit OF truth will come TO the top
In the sea Of error which we know
as food faddism. Every now and
then some really scientific discovery
VIII be found 10 support some one
or these theories.
Here are some recent facts which
support the opinions OF the vege-
tarians.
Metschenkoff taught that degen-
Grafton OF the arterlal walls and
other evidences OF senillty resulted
from the prolonged absorption from
the large intestine OF products of
putrefactlon OF proteids.
He advised the drinking Of soured
milk. This speedily led TO recon-
mendatlon OF a particularly strong
acid producing bacillus. taken by
mouth, on the theory that 1t would
locate permanently In the intestines.
and there grow over and drive out
the bacilli which caused putrefac-
tion OF proteids.
In practice this bacillus was CIV
en- as a medicine and somehow we
lost sight OF the simple diet con-
sisting largely of coarse bread and
sour milk which first attracted Met
schenkoff's attention. Whatever
hope for improvement there was ir
Metschenkoff's suggestion was lo'
when the practice got away from
the original diet.
Kendall and others found that the
strong acid bacilli did not belong In
the intestines; were not at home
there, and would not live there.
He and other scientists found that
1t was easy enough to change the
bacteria in the intestines. but that
the way to do II was to change the
diet. Taking bacteria out of spoon
got you nowhere unless you at the
same time changed your food to one
that the new bacteria liked. would
eat and would thrive on. Where
upon the Investigators switched
from bacteria to foods.
Cannon found that the foods
which are especially liable to
putrefy are those made out of the
bodies of animals which live on
milk when young, mammalian pro-
teids, for instance. beef, mutton,
pork and all such. The meat of
fish is less productive of putrefac-
ton products.
On the other hand, the proteids
from vegetables and fruits make
less harmful putrefaction products
The fermentation products COM
ing from the starchy parts Of foods
are far less harmful still.
If the products Of fermentation
of the starchy portion are harmless,
and the products of putrefaction of
the proteid part of vegetables are
but slightly harmful, 1t follows that,
In this respect, vegetables have a
considerable superiority over meats.
All of this considerable group of
investigators are agreed that, while
feeding bacteria cannot change the
bacterial population greatly. chang
ing the type of diet fed will do so.
G a n on demonstrated; great
changes where men were fed for 10
days on milk toast and milk and
sugar as the only foods.
A diet of milk and mixed grains
was productive of considerable
change.
Can Nurse Him. a
A. M w. writes: "Will it be all
right for me to nurse the 3-month-
old baby of my sick relative after
having weaned my 6-month- old
baby some six weeks ago? / still
have plenty of milk, or seem to have
This baby continues to fret and cry
to nurse all the time I am attend
ing to it. Have allowed this just q
little, but am afraid it might hurt
the little fellow"
REPLY,
It is all right to nurse him.
It would be a little better for him
| to have milk from a mother whose
baby is about his age. but the ad-
| vantage would be tritling. If you
| have a bountiful supply, feed him
| Your milk is far better than cows
milk for him.
Glasses for Astigmatism.
Il. V. A. wants to know something
about astigmatism.
REPLY.
Astigmatism is a condition rather
| than a disease That part of the
| orb inh EOb