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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1916)
^— MASTICATION AND FOOD UTILI ZATION, Again and again in every day life we find that some dictum which either commends itself to common sense or lends itself freely to argumentative proof is being made the basis of a widespread propaganda. What was more reasonable than to assume that water ingested with meals would di lute the gastric juice and thus dimin ish the proteolytic efficiency? And what was more logical than to urge the abolition of such an assumedly harmful custom of water drinking? Yet, investigation has showed that some of the postulates in this conten tion are wrong, and that unsuspected factors further vitiate the conclu sions. Indeed, under certain condi tions water may even promote the gas tric secretion, and thus upset the re vered traditions. The proper mastication of food has certain obvious justifications. It pro motes a more extensive insalivation, which is not without advantage to cer tain types of foodstuffs, and it per mits a speedier admixture of the ali mentary digestive secretions with the individual comminuted food particles. Entnusiasts have not been content with the insistence of these indisputa ble advantages, but have attempted to infuse far-reaching effects into the habit of very complete mastication. We may be ready to admit that in sufficient mastication is the cause of direct or indirecct evils which may be greatly exaggerated in certain pathologic conditions. When, how ever, we are urged to chew our food with unremitting vigor because it “se cures proper insalivation of food, in creases the quantity of alkaline saliva passing into the stomach, stimulates the heart and circulation, influences the nutrition of the jaws and their ap pendages by stimulating blood and lympth circulation, and, finally, tends to diminish the amount of food con sumed because it is more economically disposed of in the system,“one may well pause to make a few related in quiries. Where is the borderline be tween “truth and poetry” in these mat ters ? The two extremes of practice are doubtless represented by under-masti cation, as involved in the hasty bolting of food, and over-mastication, to which the epithet “fletcherizing” is some times applied. Foster and Hawk have completed studies of the utilization of typical protein as influenced by dif ferent degrees of mastication. The principal protein constituent of the diet was cooked beef in the form of 15-millimeter cubes. It happened that protein utilization was most complete as the result of good mastication, and least complete when bolting was prac tised. The output of fecal nitrogen was highest during the food bolting, and macroscopic meat residues ap peared in every stool under such con ditions. Yet the discrepancies in the protein utilization during these ex tremes of mastication averaged only 1.6 per cent. Such insignificant differences surely cannot be used in support of any en thusiastic claims for the alleged mar velous efficiency of the excessive mas tication of food, even when judged by the other extreme of food bolting. In another recently published series of experiments on man in which vege table products, notably potatoes and cereal breads, formed the prominent articles of diet, utilization was ap parently improved by good mastica tion. Neither these nor the earlier quoted results are to be taken as an appeal for the complete indifference in the matter of eating, but rather as an indication of the rationality of that happy medium of performance in mastication which is usually a sign of physiologic wisdom in other functions. - Journal of the American Medical Association. PRESERVING “CASTE” IN ENGLISH HOSPITALS. The employment of men from the East Indies, among whom caste cus toms are strictly observed, in the Brit ish fighting line in France has brought about unusual conditions. How this “caste” question affects a hospital is told in a London letter in the Medical Record. The hospital referred to is located at Brighton, and the corre spondent says: “Major S. James, chief of the hos pital, which is equipped for two thou sand patients and is run by officers of the Indian medical service, described the provision made for enabling In dians to live in accordance with the customs of their own country, and pointed out various conditions which must be strictly observed to prevent patients losing caste. They had to serve eight separate diets, cooked in twenty-one cookhouses in the hospital grounds, for the patients. For the staff sixteen other cookhouses were in use in the village. The Hindu cooks have to be of the same caste as the patients they cook for, or else higher. No beef is allowed inside the hospital, as the cow is a sacred animal to Hin dus. Bacon and pork are also pro hibited. As Indians must themselves slaughter the sheep they use for food, and in their special manner, a slaugh ter house has been provided for them. Hindus sweep off the head of the ani mal with a single stroke of a talwar or sword. For Mohammedans the mouth of the animal must be pointed toward Mecca. “The hospital requires 60 or 70 gal lons of water per man a day—not so much when it is remembered that an Indian must bathe before prayer, and that a good Mohammedan must pray five times a day. The flooding of the bathrooms is a common trouble, as the patients neglect to turn off the water. Before the electric light was in use they persisted in blowing out the gas, so there was always danger of poisoning. As Hindus who die must be cremated by members of their own caste, a site has been set apart for this, and the funeral ceremonies can be carried out as precisely as in India. “Mr. Clement (Deputy Surveyor) estimated the consumption of water at the Kitchener Hospital as over 100 gallons a day. He added that one amiable failing of the Indian was to turn on the hot water and wait till it cooled to a comfortable temperature for bathing.” INFECTION FROM THE CIGAR CUTTER. To the list of utensils in common use that are being stigmatized as car riers of infection is now added the cigar-cutter, as it appears on the counter of the tobacconist, in hotels, restaurants, and other public places. To quote and condense an article in American Medicine (New York): “When it is recognized how easily the cigar cutter may be the means of spreading infection, and infection of a dangerous nature, the days of this ar ticle of convenience will be numbered. To illustrate, a person will often after he has first held his cigar in his mouth step to the counter and put his cigar into the cutter. This thoughtless yet dangerous habit is so common that it can be witnesed time after time at every cigar stand. Undoubtedly it has been one of the principal means of spreading inection among those who smoke cigars, and it is high time that an agent so potent for harm was abol ished.”—Literary Digest. EQUAL RIGHTS LEAGUE ELECTS OFFICERS. Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 30.—At the eighth annual convention of the Na tional Equal Rights League recently held in this city, the following of ficers were elected: The Rev. By ron Gunner, New York, president; William Monroe Trotter, Massachu setts, corresponding secretary; Dr. J. L. Johnson, Ohio, recording secretary; Thomas Walker, Washington, D. C., treasurer; the Rev. Reverdy C. Ran som, New York, national organizer; J. E. Churchman, New Jersey, assist ant organizer; Dr. W. A. Sinclair, Pennsylvania, financial secretary; the Rev. E. George Biddle, Connecticut, chaplain. REMEMBER—That the firms who advertise in this paper expect and ap preciate YOUR PATRONAGE. Ad vertising is a BUSINESS, not a char itable proposition. If you wish to boost The Monitor—if you wish to help make it the best Race Paper in the country—patronize these firms and tell them that you saw their ad vertisement in The Monitor. Tenant Defense Leagues. The workers' war emergency com mittee of Great Britain, in consid eration of the increase of house rents throughout the country, are organiz ing conferences to be held in all the chief industrial centers within the next few weeks with a view to form ing tenant defense leagues. These leagues are to organize the tenants with the object that they shall refuse to pay the increased house rents dur ing the war. It has been indicated that the government would take ac tion against the abusive demands of landlords, hut the workers’ war emer gency committee will carry out. their present plans. Dawn Near Armentieres. One of the most poignant memories, it may be, that I have brought back from the war.is the unearthly beauty of the dawn in that low country, writes a British captain in the Atlan tic Monthly. Morning after morning I watched it, and the wonder never ceased. Water, mirroring willows and the silvery sky, stood ever in the fore ground; the low farm houses lay mys terious; the battered church was whole again. With the full light and an awakened world the picture was commonplace; in the half light and the silence its beauty seemed the one spiritual element in a ravaged world. First Telegraphing. New world’s records for fast and accurate telegraphing were made at the international telegraphic tourna ment in San Francisco a few weeks ago. Richard C. Bartley transmitted the fastest and most perfect "Morse” by ticking off 40 railroad messages with out an error in 28 minutes and 13 sec onds, and beating the automatic trans mitters. George W. Smith, Jr., won the re ceiving contest by taking and tran scribing without an error 40 railroad messages in 31 minutes and 12 sec onds. American Linotype to Africa. The first American linotype machine has recently arrived in Tripoli, Af rica, and been installed nv i.a Nuo»a Italia, the only newspaper in the colony. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES—1% cents a word for single insertions, 1 cent a word for two or more insertions. No advertisement for les3 than 15c. Cash should ac company advertisement. FURNISHED ROOMS FOR RENT. Room for rent with heat; hot and cold water. Mrs. M. C. Sands, 2709 Corby street. Webster 5017. For Rent—Five room furnished cot tage, modem except heat, 2413 No. 29th St. On Dodge car line. Call Web ster 1931. Comfortable furnished rooms, 2409 Blondo street. Mrs. W. B. Smith. Webster 6376. Mrs. L. M. Bentley-Webster, first class modern furnished rooms, 1702 N. 26th St. Phone Webster 4769. Nicely furnished room for respect able lady; private family; home privi leges with board if desired. Web. 7881. Nicely furnished front room. Mod em except heat. Mrs. R. Gaskin, 2606 Seward street. Webster 4490. Furnished rooms for rent, modem, reasonable, for men only. 2809 Cum ing St. Hubert Thompson. Modern furnished rooms, 1819 Izard street. Tyler 2519. Nicely furnished rooms with hot and cold water, $1.50 and up per week. Close to car line. Mrs. Hayes, 1826 North 23rd street. W. 5639. Nicely furnished room for married couple; hot and cold water; on Dodge and Twenty-fourth car lines. Mrs. Annie Banks, 912 North 20th St. Phone Doug. 4379. WANTED—Correspondents and sub scription solicitors for The Monitor in Nebraska cities and towns. Furnished rooms, modem; two blocks from car line. Mrs. E. M. Bryan, 2615 Patrick. FOB SALE-REAL ESTATE FOR SALE—An eight-room house, strictly modern, 2722 North 30th St. Terms. Webster 3602. If you have anything to dispose of, a Want Ad in The Monitor will sell it. WANTED. Respectable young widow woman wants position as housekeeper. Will exchange references. Mrs. Esters. Call Hamey 6385. Phone South 701 Phone Webster 48291 Floral Designs for All Occasions J F. H. SWANSON FLORIST Out Flowers and Potted Plants i Oftica. 532 N. 24th St. Grtinhouil, 1418 N. 18th St. i South Oraihi Omoho | 4——a-....—