SOWING FOR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH by David Paulson; W. S. Sadler

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Michigan · Sep 11, 1900

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 77, No. 37.

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SOWING FOR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH

By David Paulson; W. S. Sadler

David Paulson & W. S. Sadler

THE MINERAL ELEMENTS IN FOOD.

(Concluded.)

CHEMICALS AND DRUGS CAN NOT TAKE THE PLACE OF FOOD.

We often find children in the slums of our large cities who are fed upon bread made from the cheapest flour, from which the proteid and mineral elements are practically absent. The bones of these children become so soft and pliable that hideous deformities are readily developed. This is caused by the absence of organic lime from their diet, which the human system requires for the formation of bone in the growing child. The prolonged absence of necessary mineral constituents from our food, soon produces results that clearly indicate that the human system does not have the power to manufacture minerals from non-mineral food elements, but must secure the same, properly organized by nature.

The common attempt to substitute a deficiency of live salts in the food by the use of dead minerals, is merely imposing an extra task upon the system by compelling it to eliminate them. Common examples of this erroneous idea are:—

1. The Iron Mania.—There is perhaps no more deep-seated delusion than the notion entertained by many that it is possible to grind up a portion of a plowshare, and by feeding it to a child, have it transformed into blood. Large quantities of various forms of iron are annually poured into unwilling stomachs, as the result of such an erroneous education. The blood at any one time contains only about forty-five grains of iron. See Schafer's Physiology. Therefore, if the system could absorb and utilize iron in the form in which it is found in the various “iron tonics,” it would certainly require but little, and very few doses, to supply the entire amount needed, even if the blood were wholly lacking in this element.

As a matter of fact, there is occasionally a noticeable improvement after taking some of these iron compounds. The class of persons who need more iron are ordinarily those who are suffering with indigestion. In such cases, more or less of the proteids, which should have been digested in the alimentary canal and used to build up the body, are left there to decay; and among other substances formed by this decomposition, is a gas called “hydrogen-sulphide.” This gas is hungry for minerals, or, to use a chemical expression, has a great affinity for iron; it therefore readily combines with the living iron that is found in the food that is eaten. But this robs the system of a necessary food element; for when the iron has entered into combination with the sulphur gas, it can not be used in the system. Therefore in such cases, when the physician prescribes iron, the sulphur gas seizes more readily this dead mineral substance; and thus the natural iron taken in with the food escapes this chemical destruction, and can perform its legitimate functions in the system. See Bunge's Physiological Chemistry, page 96.

The rational as well as the more sensible method is to correct the dietetic habits of the individual, and to starve out the germs by placing him upon a fruit diet for several days. If a room catches fire, it is absurd to throw upon the fire combustible material, with the supposition that by so doing the fire will be satisfied, and so will not burn up the house. It would be much more sensible to put out the fire than merely to treat the effects.

2. The Phosphate Delusion.—Because one half of all the mineral substances that are found in the brain is composed of phosphates, it has been supposed that if a person will purchase of the druggist, and take, medicines containing phosphates, these will in some way serve to build up the brain. But brains and nerves can not be built up so easily. The structure of the brain has to be built up from natural foods, and its activities must be prompted by something more substantial than artificial phosphates.

3. The Lime Deception.—About three fourths of all the mineral salts that are found in the body are composed of some combination of lime, the majority of which is deposited in the bones. The growing child who has soft bones is particularly in need of food that is rich in lime. The food that nature intended for him, namely, milk, contains from one to two per cent of lime in a natural condition. A common error that many mothers make is that of supposing that they can furnish more lime to the child by giving him lime water to drink, than by giving him milk. This is a mistake, because a pint of milk contains twenty-five grains of lime, while the same quantity of lime water contains only nineteen grains. See Bunge's Physiological Chemistry, page 111. The yolk of egg contains about the same quantity of lime as does milk; because nature stows away in the egg all the lime that the young chick will require for the formation of its bones up to the time when it shall have been hatched out of the shell. Wheat contains a trace of lime; peas, beans, and lentils about one tenth of one per cent; and the potato, the same.

4. The Salt Question.—All the fluids of the body contain a certain amount of chloride of sodium (common table salt); while the solid substances of the body, as the muscles, liver, etc., contain a large percentage of potassium salts. Calcium, or lime, is found in the bones and the dentine of the teeth; iron is principally found in the blood, and phosphates in the nerve tissues. Of these various salts, common table salt is the most abundant, there being about six ounces of this mineral salt in the body at any one time. Half an ounce is daily carried off by the secretion of the kidneys, so in less than two weeks the body's store of salts would disappear, if more were not supplied.

IS THERE ANY REASON FOR THE COMMON USE OF TABLE SALT?

Sodium chloride, or ordinary table salt, is the only mineral element that it is customary to add artificially to our food. Dr. Bunge, the

great German chemist, has made some observations upon this subject, which led him to the conclusion that when a person eats foods that are particularly rich in potassium salts, the potassium salts combine with the sodium salts already present in the blood, a new substance resulting, which can not be utilized by the body, and so is merely eliminated. Potatoes contain about two and one-fourth per cent of potassium salts; vegetables are also universally rich in this substance; while, on the contrary, rice contains only one twenty-fifth as much as the potato. The same is true of wheat, although containing a little larger quantity.

It is a matter of common experience that those with reasonably normal tastes do not desire to add any considerable quantity of salt to rice, wheat preparations, or fruit, but invariably desire to add it to vegetables. There can be no doubt, however, that common table salt is eaten with the various vegetables far in excess of the quantity that is needed properly to balance the amount of potassium salts that is found in these foods. It is injurious to the health to force the eliminating organs to dispose of a great excess of these mineral elements. Therefore we should avoid using salt to excess with any food, and as far as possible select, for our dietary, fruits, grains, and nuts, which do not create any particular necessity for the addition of artificial salts.

THE PATENT MEDICINE EVIL.

It is a deep-seated error, which is very prevalent in the human mind, that somehow or other the elixir of life can be concentrated and stored up in a bottle, if only it be compounded with some vile and noxious substance, and the whole thing sold under some striking name. The sale of this multitude of bitters, tonics, etc., has become enormous, due to the tremendous advertising that their promoters have given them. The reason for this extensive advertising is plain: a dollar bottle of these compounds ordinarily contains but two or three cents' worth of some mineral salts, many of which are extremely harmful and irritating to the already overworked eliminating organs.

It seems strange that rational beings will suppose that they can steadily violate nature's laws, and then in some way atone for their violation by swallowing a few teaspoonfuls of some highly colored fluid.