The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-07-02

DR.. Clendening will answer
questions of general interest
only, and then only through
his column.
cellent Los Angeles Examiner car
ries Mr.. Runyon--so feel better.
Almost the very first article of his
read justified my confidence, be-
cause he posed the question if he
could have only one food on a
desert island which one would he
choose, and he chose the potato.
This question may be at any
time a pressing one, what with
price fixing and food conservation
in the offing. Everybody says the
war is going TO spread and with
that in view | have planted vege-
table garden so that when the time
comes | won't have to depend on
the vagaries of food distribution
and can retire to a quiet place |
know up the mountain with sack
full of my own potatoes. Because
agree with Mr.. Runyon and | am
planting mostly potatoes.
Virtues of Potatoes
There are several virtues Of the
potato which Mr.. Runyon did not
mention. In the first place it is
all American. | am writing this
on y Am An American" day, and
it will be published 4th of July
week-so the point is appropri-
ate. 1t was introduced into Europe
by Sir Walter Raleigh, but for
two hundred years the foreigners
didn't appreciate it.
When it caught on it prevented
more famines than Hitler could
create. Literally in the preven-
ton of famine it alone has been
one of the greatest of American
contributions to the relief of hu-
man suffering.
There are no vitamin diseases
where the potato is cultivated"
says an eminent dietetic author
ity. A baked potato, according to
the United States Department Of
Agriculture Circular S4), has
Vitamin A one plus, Vitamin B
two plus and Vitamin c one to
two plus.
The potato contains 1870 starch,
29o protein, little fat, and as for
the essential minerals iron, cal
cium and phosphorus. The more
"waxy" the potato the more pro-
TEN it has.
While nutritionists warn that
potatoes are not suitable to con-
stitute the sole diet of man, they
do very well for an emergency,
even a pretty long one.
Experiments with Potatoes
In 1910 experiments were made
with an exclusively potato diet in
a prison in Glasgow. Ten prison
ers, young men and boys, were put
on six pounds of potatoes a day,
and at the end of the experiment
had gained considerably in weight
and expressed themselves perfect
ly satisfied with the potatoes, and
regretted going back to ordinary
fare.
The potato even has roughage
properties little as it may look it.
A small piece eaten raw is a good
cathartic. This is due to the large
size and toughness of the starch
granule of the potato in the raw
state. When cooked this is broken
up and becomes very digestible.
Properly prepared potatoes are
more digestible than bread.
So add digestibility TO the right
side Of the ledger for potatoes.
Even when 315 pounds a day are
consumed 92 per cent of the starch
and 70 per cent Of the protein are
absorbed.
Not the least of the potatoes
virtues is the large variety of ways
in which it can be cooked and
served.
There are several other things
about the potato, but / will have
to wait until hear from Mr.. Run
yon again before | divulge them.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
]. G., Detroit, Mich.-"Can a
simple goiter or slight enlarge
ment Of the thyroid be cured by
x-ray treatments, and if so is there
any danger Of those treatments az
fecting the other glands in the
neck7"
Answer. X-ray has been used
for treatment in some forms of
goiter. No one can be certain, how
ever, whether it will do good in a
given case or not. 1t does no harm
to other glands in the neck.
NJ