The Use of Stimulants a Cause of Physical Degeneracy
By D. H. Kress
FAST rules in diet can never be laid down, for the reason that man is not a machine. Each one has likes and dislikes that must be respected as far as is consistent with true science and good sense. Gradually the appetite may be educated to relish the simplest and most wholesome foods. The one who possesses the same relish for simple foods that the epicure does for his delicacies is the one who is on the highway to real and lasting health.
For those who are ill it is especially important not to make eating mechanical. It would be better for such to eat some things not quite so wholesome, but which are relished,—foods that stimulate the secretion of a good quality of saliva and gastric juice,—than to eat better foods which are unrelished, and therefore poorly digested because of the absence of appetite juice. When the mind rebels against food, the stomach rebels against it also. It is unwise for those who have diseased stomachs to make too sudden changes; for often, owing to the diseased condition of the stomach, almost the only juices formed are those which result from the stimulation of the appetite. For the dyspeptic, nutritious and wholesome foods must therefore be attractively and tastefully prepared, so as to tempt the appetite and lead to real enjoyment of what is eaten.
Mechanical eating creates dyspepsia, even if the food is the best, and the greatest precaution is taken in the combination and mastication. Man must relish and enjoy what he eats in order to derive benefit even from the best food. No one, therefore, can prescribe in detail what another shall eat.
This does not do away with the need of reforms, but it proves that the only successful way of inaugurating reforms is by transformation of the mind. It is just as possible for a person to learn to dislike food that once he relished, and to enjoy foods that once he had no relish for, as it is for a person once addicted to the use of tobacco to become intolerant even of the smell of it. A knowledge of the elements contained in foods and of their purity will enable a person to appreciate them above inferior foods, and to enjoy and assimilate that which would otherwise be unpalatable and indigestible.
Apparent benefit from the use of drugs, patent medicines, and narcotic poisons, as alcohol, tea, coffee, and tobacco, is sometimes experienced by the sick. This is owing to the fact that these poisons stupefy the mind and make it less sensitive, so that business cares and other depressing influences (which always retard digestion) are for the time forgotten. The difficulty is that from any artificial exhilaration there follows a corresponding state of depression which calls for another, and often an increased, dose of the same narcotic. To keep free from worry and other depressing influences by the use of narcotics, it is necessary to remain in a continuous state of mild intoxication. This is ruinous both to health and to morals.
Though these narcotic poisons appear to perform marvels, it will be found, sooner or later, that they are poor substitutes for the real remedy, which consists in an actual and permanent change of mind, leading to a cheerful reformation of all wrong habits of life, and a relish for simple foods. The apostle, in contrasting the false with the true, says, “Be not drunk with wine, . . . but be filled with the Spirit.” Peace and contentment must exist in order to enable the digestive organs to do their best work, for the quality of the impulses sent forth from the mind determines the quality of the work done by the digestive and other organs of the body. Complicated messes and highly seasoned foods should be used sparingly, if at all.
The lower creatures do not require delicacies nor narcotics. They are content with a simple fare, and if left to select their own food, prefer to take it direct from nature. From the simple foods thus obtained, they derive their great energy, and the elements with which to construct strong bones and muscles.
Uncivilized people live in the same simple manner. They do not always have the most suitable foods, it is true, and therefore their example can not be followed by intelligent men and women, but their habits are simple and their wants few. They have none of the complicated mixtures, puddings and pastries, so freely used among civilized races. The peasants of various civilized countries subsist on simple foods, and are content with one or two varieties at a meal. The Irish peasant has his milk and potatoes; the Italian and French have macaroni and chestnuts; and the German has black (rye) bread. In fact, the heartiest, healthiest, and happiest people are to be found among those whose wants are not greater than their needs, and who are content with simple food.
Dr. Pawlow, in his experiments upon dogs, discovered that when meat was fed to an animal, the gastric juice formed was very acid, and especially adapted for the digestion of meat. When bread was substituted in the place of meat, an entirely different gastric juice was formed, containing much less acid, and especially adapted for the digestion of bread. Milk produces a gastric juice different from the others. This shows clearly that the normal stomach should experience no inconvenience or difficulty in digesting one or even two kinds of food at a meal. But when meat, milk, bread, butter, puddings, cabbage, potatoes, jam, and fruit are all taken at the same meal, is it any wonder that the stomach becomes confused, and indigestion, fermentation, auto-intoxication, and disease result? From merely a health standpoint it would be better to eat a simple meal composed of bread and meat, if meat could be obtained from a healthy creature, than to eat so large a variety of these complex messes. I would, however, not recommend either. The simpler the food, the fewer and less complex22the dishes, the better the health. I am convinced that among those who have high ideals, and who are in search of perfect health, there will be much less cooking done in the near future, for they will discover that the simple, non-stimulating products of the earth, which require little or no preparation aside from mouth preparation, are in every way best adapted for man's physical needs.
Men can not keep up on stimulants; for this reason, work now begins late and ends early. Shorter hours for labor is the cry everywhere, presumably to enable young men and women to lead healthier lives, but just the opposite condition results. To cease work early in order that the evening may be spent in a morally and physically unwholesome city atmosphere, in saloons and theaters, is not invigorating either to body or mind. Work cheerfully performed is one of the best safeguards against mental and physical decay. The healthiest and longest lived are to be found, not among those whose hardest work consists in dodging hard work, but among those who put heart and soul into all that they do. There is a blessing in honest toil, when cheerfully done. It imparts new life to the entire system by improving the heart’s action and the general circulation of the blood.
Disinclination to work is found chiefly among users of stimulants. Work is performed by such because of necessity.