The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-16
HEALTH DEPENDS ON ORAL
 DIGESTION


 When I was a sophomore medi- cal student my father, who had no medical knowledge but was an om- nivorous reader, used to debate with me on the primary or essential cause of disease. He had theory of his own about 1t, which of course was absurd to my mind then. He maintained that "all disease begins in the stomach. When I undertook to point out the inadequacy of the theory of citing typhoid fever which begins in the intestine, father would pause only briefly in his discussion of pathology to ask how the typhoid bacilli got into the intestine if not from failure of the gastric juice to destroy them-and go on from there while remained baffled and silent. At times wondered whether medi- cal science was wrong about it after all, so often did father draw me on until I was practically supporting his contention I. sophomore medical student, remember.
 If father were here today I wouldn't consider his theory that "all disease begins in the stomach" so absurd as I did then. In the light of our newer Knowledge of nu- triton the theory requires only a little editing to make it presentable now-change the "all' to much and the stomach" to mouth-much disease begins in the mOuth-and you have in a few words the gist of many volumes of modern scientific literature.
 Shakespeare was as warm as father when he put the famous toast in the mouth of Macbeth Nov, good digestion wait on appe- tite, and health on both!". Health does depend on good digestion, and good digestion opens on some thing more than appetite. It de- pends on mastication, and mastica- tion of course requires Intentionally efficient teeth, either your own or your dentists, and on the sort of food you masticate.
 Nearly four fifths of the calories, the energy, in the daily diet normal ly comes from carbohydrate mater ial (starches and sugars, in vegeta- bles, cereals, fruits, nutS) and near ly half of the starch in such foods should be digested by the action of the ptyalin (digestive enzyme or ferment in the Saliva) while the food is being masticated and for good half hour after it has been swallowed So it should be clear that when Inastication is crippled by loss of teeth or by untreated de- cay or oral digestion is deficient and 8 good deal of undigested starch is passed along to the stom- ach and finds its way to the duode- mum, where an excessive burden is imposed on the pancreatic juice to digest it. Stomach and duodenal or intestinal digestive functions are bound to be impaired by the handi- cap and general nutrition inevitably declines. No, brother or sister, you can't enjoy good health, vite, if you have few teeth various or missing, even if they are back teeth that do not show.
 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
 Hair Does Not Grow After Death
 We are debating the question whether human hair can grow after, death.
 (M. s. O.
 AnSWer-No.
 Saccharin
 Understand one ounce of saccha- rin in one quart of water is equiva- lent to 32 pounds of sugar-one tablespoonful of the solution equal to cupful of sugar. Would 1t be harmful for one not diabetic to use saccharin as a sweetener in place of sugar (MrS. L. V. E)
 Answer-Saccharin has sweetening power 300 to 800 times that of sugar. It has no food or caloric value. A quarter-grain tablet is ap- proXimately as sweetening to tea, coffee, soda water, ginger ale, chew mig gum or chewing tobacco as teaspoonful of cane sugar would be. General medical opinion is that use of up to five grains day is harm less to any one.
 Preparing for Maternity
 Is it dangerous for the nursing baby if the mother has eaten raw pork or raw beef while pregnant?
 (Mrs. J. R. W). :.
 AnSwer-No. No one should eat raw pork, raw ham or raw beef un- less absolutely certain it does not contain tapeworm larvae or trichina larvae. If you have baby on order or one you might wish to raise, send ten cents for Preparing for Mater nity" or for "The Brady Baby Book"