Glass. Book. COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT v u o Ph X-RAY VIEWS OF THE FOOD TUBE 125 cial meal, which usually consists of a pint of gruel of some sort or a couple of glasses of buttermilk to which has been added an ounce or two of bismuth or barium in fine powder. These mineral substances, as well as others, are opaque to the X-ray. That is, they cast a shadow. The stomach and intestines being hollow organs, the shadow formed by the opaque meal takes the form of the stomach or of that part of the intestine in which it appears. When a person who has taken an opaque meal is placed in the X-ray apparatus, the shadow of the meal is thrown upon a screen under the eye of the observer, who is thus able to note the location of the meal, the form of the part in which it is located and to compare it with the normal, and likewise to observe the changes in form and location which are always taking place. The observer begins his examination by placing the subject between 'the X-ray tube and a fluorescent screen and seats himself upon a stool in front of the screen. The subject is now given the test meal, and as he swallows it the expert watches the behavior of the stomach as each morsel enters. In health, everything 126 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST proceeds in the most orderly fashion. As one morsel succeeds another, it passes along a definite course until it reaches a state of rest and is lost in the accumulating mass. The reception of food into the stomach starts up a series of movements which should proceed in a definite and well known order. Any deviation from the normal standard is quickly noted and recorded. The stomach movements are not so rapid, however, that the X-ray cannot catch them on the screen and record them on a photo- graphic plate. The observer notes with the greatest care the behavior of the stomach as the food passes out of the pylorus and of the small intestine, the duodenum, as the food enters it. The ac- tion of the pylorus is watched with special care since it is at or near this point that many of the most troublesome changes in the stomach occur. There may be deformities due to ulcer or cancer, obstruction, or other departures from the normal. The duodenum is carefully scrutinized for the presence of ulcer or adhesions which may obstruct or delay the passage of food through it. X-RAY VIEWS OF THE FOOD TUBE 127 After a thorough initial scrutiny the sub- ject is released and asked to return at stated intervals during the day when the observa- tions made show the progress of the test meal along the road from stomach to colon. The observations are renewed the next day, at less frequent intervals, to note the length of time the food residues remain in the colon and any obstructive conditions that may exist. The ileocecal valve, the caecum, the ap- pendix, the several parts of the colon, ascen- ding, transverse, descending, and pelvic colon and the rectum, all are carefully inspected. By means of pressure applied at various points the absence or presence of adhesions is deter- mined. When adhesions are present, the mo- bility of the various organs is lessened; that is, they cannot be moved about as freely as in normal conditions. For example, when ulcers of the duodenum of a serious character are present, it is not uncommon for the X-ray ex- pert to find adhesions about the duodenum which bind the duodenum and restrict the mo- bility of the stomach. In chronic inflamma- tion of the gall-bladder, the adjacent parts, stomach, liver, duodenum, and gall-bladder, and sometimes the colon and other parts are 128 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST very likely to be bound tightly together by adhesions. The small intestines, the caecum, the ap- pendix, the transverse colon, and the pelvic colon are also studied with great care with re- ference to adhesions, which in these parts are often the source of great mischief and chronic disorders, especially autointoxication from most obstinate constipation. The size and form of the various parts of the colon are of great signifiance and are most carefully noted as well as the position of the several parts. The accompanying cuts show better than any description some of the var- ious wonderful things which a really expert roentgenologist is able to see by means of the X-ray. The patient is examined at stated intervals until the last trace of bismuth has disappeared from the alimentary tract. Sometimes a dis- eased appendix retains traces of bismuth for several days after it has disappeared from other parts. Finally a bismuth enema is given while the expert watches the behavior of the colon as the enema enters. This part of the examina- tion is highly important as it may reveal the X-RAY VIEWS OF THE FOOD TUBE 129 presence of cancer or adhesions or other causes of mechanical obstruction, as well as deform- ities of the gut, pouches, dilations, "kinks," etc. and in many cases incompetency of the ileocecal valve. Besides these "fleuroscopic" observations, plates are made, roentgenograms, which reveal some things not otherwise discoverable, and form a permanent record. The information which may be obtained by a careful X-ray study of the interior of the body, especially of the abdomen, is often of greater importance and value than what might be learned by opening the abdomen and viewing the parts with the eye. The X- ray gives information about conditions which are beyond the reach of the eye even with the organs in sight. But emphasis should be laid upon the fact that an X-ray apparatus alone is not sufficient to secure useful information. A well-trained X-ray expert as well as an up-to-date appar- atus must be on the job. The X-ray only makes shadows. The ex- pert must interpret the shadows. Long years of training and education of the eye to observe fine distinctions of light and shade, and deep 130 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST study of physiology and pathology as well as of the physics and the technic of the X-ray are essential to success. Only such an expert can be trusted. A tyro misinterprets what he sees. The minute indications of disease he overlooks, and unusual but perfectly normal appear- ances he mistakes for cancer or some other dreadful condition for which he urges imme- diate operation. Unfortunately the country is full of X- ray tyros, thanks to the commercial activity of X-ray machine manufacturers. It is safe to say that at the present moment the conclu- sions drawn from the majority of X-ray ex- aminations of the colon are altogether unreli- able and worthless, if not positively mislead- ing, and a menace to the patient's welfare if made a basis for active treatment or operation. Beware of the X-ray tyro. There are in the United States possibly one hundred X- ray specialists whose examinations of the ali- mentary canal may be regarded as of value and whose conclusions may be trusted as fair- ly reliable; but the chances are very great that our estimate is far too large. X-RAY VIEWS OF THE FOOD TUBE 131 A SIMPLE "MOTILITY" TEST The time which elapses after a test meal is taken before the discharge of the indigestible residues is termed the motility period of the food tube, that is, the time required for the complete journey from entrance to exit. Several writers have placed the motility period at fifty hours. It is evident, however, that these authorities were dealing with con- stipated persons, those whose bowels move once a day. When the bowels move in a nor- mal manner, or three or four times daily, the motility period is shortened. In the writer's opinion, 24 to 25 hours should be regarded as the outside limit for normal motility, and really normal bowel activity, as elsewhere ob- served, may be reckoned as 14 to 16 hours. Thousands of persons whose bowels move daily would be surprised to find on examina- tion of their motility a period of two to three days or even more. Not infrequently the period is lengthened to five or six days. The value of this information is so great that in the writer's opinion every adult person should have the test applied, especially if at all constipated. 132 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST Fortunately we are in possession of a very simple and efficient means of applying the test. A capsule containing fifteen grams of carmine is swallowed just before breakfast. At each bowel movement thereafter the color is observed. The time is noted when the red color is first seen and also the time when it is last seen. This test is so simple it may be ap- plied by any intelligent person. RULES FOR CARE OF THE COLON The following rules have been tested for years at the Battle Creek Sanitarium and have been found to be efficient, although there are occasionally found cases in which the causes of the constipation are mechanical and require surgical relief: — 1. Intestinal inactivity, or constipation, results in autointoxication, and is one of the most active of all causes of chronic disease. Every chronic invalid should take special care to secure frequent and regular action of the bowels, at least three full movements daily. 2. An effort should be made to move the bowels soon after breakfast, whether or not there is a "call" for bowel movement, and at any other time when even a slight "call" is experienced. A persevering effort should be made to secure three movements daily and at regular times. 3. Cellulose (the indigestible part of vege- table food) is the only element which can in- crease the bulk of the feces. One to two ounces of cellulose are needed daily. Bran and agar- agar are good forms of cellulose. 134 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST 4. Normally, the bowels move after each meal, and sometimes just after rising. The largest movement generally occurs soon af- ter breakfast. 5. Many persons are suffering from con- stipation who are not aware of the fact. There are several forms of constipation: (a) simple constipation, in which the bowels are only somewhat sluggish or irregular in action; (b) cumulative or rectal constipation, in which normal movement of the bowels is prevented by accumulation of masses of feces in the "rec- tum" or "pelvic" colon; and (c) latent consti- pation, in which the bowels move daily but without complete evacuation of the colon, es- pecially of the lower colon which always occurs in normal defecation. Not infrequently, the symptoms peculiar to latent and cumulative constipation are found present together. It is highly important in every case of constipation that such examinations shall be made as will determine the cause of the constipation. It is only by the aid of such examinations that it be- comes possible to make a successful applica- tion of curative means. 6. Meals must be regular in time and amount of food taken. Food is the physiologic RULES FOR CARE OF THE COLON 135 laxative. A scanty meal or the omission of a meal usually results in the interruption of the intestinal rhythm, — omission of a movement, or an incomplete movement. 7. Fasting, a scanty diet (less than 1600 calories) a liquid diet (milk, gruels, por- ridges), a diet chiefly consisting of such foods as potatoes, rice, meat, eggs, tea, coffee and condiments, are constipating. 8. Green vegetables (excepting the po- tato) contain much cellulose, especially the beet root, turnip, parsnip, spinach, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and lettuce; these foods are laxative. 9. Whole grain preparations are rich in cellulose. Scotch brose (oatmeal cooked six minutes) is an excellent laxative food. 10. Half the bulk of dried feces consists of food residues, the other half of germs and of poisonous matter excreted by the intestines, which should be gotten rid of as soon as poss- ible. This is especially important in cases of colitis, since the intestinal mucous membrane is diseased, and in all cases of chronic disease, particularly in cases of autointoxication, Bright's disease, arteriosclerosis, disease of the liver, skin, thyroid gland, heart, and lungs. 136 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST 11. Exercise promotes bowel action, espe- cially walking, horseback riding, gymnasium exercises, and such exercises as trunk bending, leg raising and deep breathing. Exercises and deep breathing movements taken on the inclined table are especially helpful, and should be practiced systematically and two or three times daily. 12. The cold morning bath often aids bowel action. Various other means are highly beneficial, such as massage of the colon, vibra- tion and kneading of the abdomen, and special exercises of the abdominal muscles. In special cases, application of electricity to the ab- dominal muscles, also to the rectum and the pelvic colon should be made. 13. In cases in which the abdominal mus- cles are relaxed, and the colon and other por- tions of the intestine are prolapsed, an efficient abdominal supporter should be worn either permanently or until the abdominal muscles have become strong enough to hold the viscera in position. 14. Drugs of all sorts must be avoided. They do not cure, and do much harm when repeatedly used. There is no such thing as a harmless laxative drug. Mineral waters and RULES FOR CARE OF THE COLON 137 saline laxatives as well as other drugs are harmful, and produce enteritis and colitis sooner or later. They congest the mucous membrane and thus lead to autointoxication. 15. Agar-agar and paraffin are natural and harmless and may be regarded as supple- mentary foods. They are not digestible and have no influence upon digestion, except to encourage bowel action. 16. Agar-agar (cellulose) aids bowel ac- tion by preventing drying and supplying bulk. It also absorbs and carries off toxins. Paraffin lubricates the colon, protects the diseased mucous membrane and hinders ab- sorption of poisons and dissolves and carries off the toxins of putrefaction. These are harmless substances, which may be used con- tinuously without injury, and by regular use render possible the training of the bowels to normal action. 17. In cases in which the measures above indicated do not secure prompt relief from constipation, an X-ray examination by aid of the bismuth meal should be made. By this means, a minute inspection of every part of the intestine is possible. In many cases "kinks," folds, contractions, adhesions, dis- 138 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST placements, and other impediments to normal bowel action are found, which may be cor- rected by application of special measures. Such an examination should be made in all cases of obstinate constipation. 18. The squatting position, secured by using a raised foot-rest in front of the closet seat is a great aid to bowel movement, espe- cially in cases in which the abdominal muscles are relaxed, a condition most common in chronic constipation. 19. If the bowels do not move three times a day constipation exists. The consti- pation may be latent. It is necessary not only that the bowels should move, but that the colon should be completely emptied. A simple test which any one may employ is this: After a bowel movement, take a warm enema, using about three pints of water. About five minutes should be occupied in fill- ing the colon. Note the quantity and char- acter of the evacuation which follows. Often a surprisingly large amount of black, very foul smelling material will be brought down from an enlarged or pouched csecum where it has been retained perhaps for days. Such accumulations are an exceedingly common RULES FOR CARE OF THE COLON 139 cause of headaches, "biliousness," coated tongue, loss of appetite, and other toxic symp- toms. Do not forget that normal bowel action is at least three full evacuations daily. Food wastes should never be retained more than twenty-five or twenty-six hours at the longest and the normal period is prob- ably sixteen hours or less. Constipation is one of the greatest causes of disease, misery, inefficiency and premature senility, and should be most earnestly com- bated. By a persevering effort and the appli- cation of known and well tested measures, every case of constipation may be relieved. THE INTESTINAL FLORA— WHEN AND WHY IT MUST BE CHANGED Pasteur discovered that the intestinal tract is swarming with bacterial Strassburger and other more recent investigators have estimated the number of these organisms pro- duced in the intestinal tract daily to be not less than 150,000,000,000,000, and doubtless the number is sometimes much greater. Pasteur believed and taught that these count- less millions of minute organisms were useful and even necessary to the maintenance of the body in health, that they rendered valuable and essential assistance in the process of di- gestion. More recent studies, however, have shown that Pasteur was in error. Levin, in the study of Arctic animals at Spitzbergen, showed that more than 50 per cent of the animals in that region have no bacteria in the intestinal tract. Nuttall and Thierfelder showed that guinea pigs brought into the world by Caesarian section may be made to grow without contact with bacteria. THE INTESTINAL FLORA 141 Cohendy has quite recently shown that chickens hatched from eggs free from bac- teria may be raised and made to thrive on food and drink in an atmosphere entirely free from germs. It is now clearly established that we do not live by the aid of the germs that throng our intestines and swarm upon the surface of the body, but rather that we live in spite of these microbic enemies. Two Classes — Fermentation Germs and Putrefaction Germs The germs that are ordinarily found in the human intestine may be divided into two classes; namely, fermentation germs and putrefaction germs. Fermentation germs feed upon carbohydrates; that is, starch, sugar and dextrin; while putrefaction germs feed upon protein — such substances as the white of eggs, the lean of meat, and the curd of milk. Roughly speaking, we may say that fermentation germs feed upon vegetable and putrefaction germs upon animal substances. These two classes of germs differ very widely in their characteristics and their re- lation to the human body is in each case based upon the substances which they produce by 142 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST their activity. Fermentation germs produce for the most part acids, especially lactic and acetic acids, which, in the small quantities in which they are produced in the body, are practically harmless. Putrefaction germs, on the other hand, produce by the decomposition of proteins, especially when acting upon ani- mal proteins, highly poisonous toxins, many of which closely resemble the venom of snakes and minute quantities of which are capable of producing the most alarming and distressing symptoms. Poisoning from Putrefying Colon Contents A good illustration of the ill effects of minute doses of these poisons is found in the unpleasant symptoms experienced by contact with putrescible substances, for example, the odors arising from a dead rat in a closet or under the floor, although greatly diluted with air, may give rise to headache, loss of appe- tite, nausea, and other unpleasant effects. The sickening effects of the odors arising from the fecal discharges of a dog or cat, or of a person accustomed to the free use of meat, clearly demonstrate the potency of these THE INTESTINAL FLORA 143 subtle poisons. The bowel discharges of a meat-eater, exposed in a closed room, would in an hour or two render the place intolerable, even to a very robust person. The writer has known vigorous young men to be made very ill with violent attacks of headache through a few hours' contact with such material in lab- oratory work. A moment's consideration will show that such corrupt and putrescent matters must be capable of producing much greater mischief when in the body than after removal from it. If the mere breathing of the greatly diluted volatile poisons arising from such putrescent matter will produce highly unpleasant effects, how much more grave must be the effects when through the retention within the bodv of these foul sub- stances all of their poisonous contents are ab- sorbed and sucked up into the blood and circu- lated throughout the body! In other words, when a person through constipation throws off through the lungs, kidneys and skin a large part of the poisonous matters which ought to have been discharged through the bowel, how great must be the mischief done! There is abundant reason for believing that the poison- ing of the body, or so-called autointoxication, 144 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST which results from the absorption of poisons from the intestine, is the chief cause of most chronic diseases and of premature senility and decay, as well as a very potent and predis- posing cause of many acute maladies. Protective Germs Normal human beings are born into the world entirely free from bacteria. Not a single germ is found in the interior of the new-born infant. Within a few hours after birth (four to six hours in summer, and twenty hours in winter) the intestines of the infant are found to be swarming with bac- teria, the study of which, by Tissier, Esche- rich and numerous other investigators has shown to be of the harmless sort — namely, the fermentation germs, or acid-formers. It is the presence of these germs that gives to the stools of a healthy young infant a slightly sour odor. A portion of the bowel discharges of the young infant added to milk does not cause putrefaction of the milk, but simply souring or fermentation. These acid-forming germs play a protective role. Thanks to their presence in the intestine, the putrefaction germs cannot thrive, for these organisms can- THE INTESTINAL FLORA 145 not grow in the presence of acids. An alka- line medium is needed to promote their growth. Hence, so long as acid-forming germs keep possession of its intestine the in- fant is safe from the destructive effects of the putrefaction germs, or poison-formers, which are the cause of diarrhea and most other in- fant troubles. When by the use of cow's milk (that is, ordinary commercial milk), or by other errors in feeding, such as the giving of meat or fish, overwhelming numbers of pu- trefaction germs are introduced into the in- testine and the infant's stools become dark- colored and bad-smelling, then the experi- enced mother or nurse, as well as the doctor, knows that the child, if not already sick, will soon be sick, and the sickness will be due to the poisons produced by these enemies of life, the germs of putrefaction. As the child advances in years the putre- faction germs increase in number in the intes- tine. Through the use of meat, highly active putrefaction germs are introduced into the intestine and grow and multiply in great num- bers, so that the stools become very offensive and chronic autointoxication results. The ultimate effects are constipation, colitis, so- 146 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST called biliousness, gastritis, inflammation of the gall ducts, gall stones, skin diseases of vari- ous sorts, neurasthenia, and in later years Bright's disease, hardening of the arteries, high blood-pressure, apoplexy, paralysis, insomnia, mental depression, and even insanity. The Cause of Old Age Metchnikoff has clearly shown that these putrefaction germs are the cause of early senility, premature old age and death. Among the worst of the putrefaction germs which are commonly found in the intestine in the diseased conditions of adult life are the bacillus coli, Welch's bacillus, bacillus pro- teus, bacillus subtilis, streptococcus, entero- coccus, bacillus putrificus, bacillus paracoli, and sometimes the typhoid bacillus. All of these germs produce most virulent poisons, and when present in the feces in large num- bers they are certain proof of the existence of chronic intestinal autointoxication, even though the characteristic symptoms of auto- intoxicaton have not yet appeared. A coated tongue, a sallow complexion, dark circles around the eyes, appearance of brown spots upon the hands or other parts (the so-called THE INTESTINAL FLORA 147 liver spots), offensive breath and perspira- tion, the discharge of foul-smelling gases from the bowels, putrid stools, a thin, inelastic, parchment-like skin, dullness of mind, inabil- ity to concentrate the mind, mental irritability or depression without cause, cold hands and feet, perspiration of the hands and feet, chronic headache, attacks of migraine or sick headache — these and a score of other symp- toms which might be mentioned are certain indications of chronic poisoning, prompt at- tention to which may prevent the develop- ment of later more serious conditions, such as hardening of the arteries, Bright's disease, with albumen and casts in the urine, or apoplexy with paralysis. Grave symptoms of autointoxication do not appear until after the mechanism of the body, through which nature deals with poisons, destroying and eliminating them, has broken down and failed to accomplish its purpose as a result of the overwhelming amount of work which has been thrown ypon it. Hence, the appearance of symptoms of autointoxication indicates that the body has already become crippled and that the matter must receive serious and im- mediate attention. 148 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST Reforming the Intestinal Flora Eminent progressive medical men the world over are rapidly coming to recognize that changing the intestinal flora is an im- portant factor in the treatment of all forms of chronic disease and that in the great ma- jority of chronic diseases it is the one es- sential thing. Modern researches have clearly shown that the great benefit that has been known to be derived from those methods of treatment which have been most successful have really been due to the influence of these measures upon the intestinal flora. We may mention, for example, the tem- porary benefit derived by the tens of thou- sands of persons who annually visit mineral springs, the waters of which possess laxative properties. Such resorts are popular in all parts of the world, and the benefit derived from the use of their waters is sufficient to attract countless multitudes of visitors year after year; but that these patients are never cured, no matter how much temporary benefit they may derive from the thorough emptying of their intestines and the unloading of ac- cumulated poisons, is shown by the fact that THE INTESTINAL FLORA 149 they always return, often being compelled to return at increasingly frequent intervals, the effect of mineral water as well as of other laxa- tives being to produce colitis, or infection of the colon thus in the end doing great harm. Results or Changing the Flora Again, we find in the remarkable effects which have been obtained by various special dietaries an equally good illustration of the curative value of means which influence the intestinal flora. The grape cure, the apple, peach, cherry and other fruit cures, the milk, buttermilk and whey cures — all of these cures operate through their influence upon the in- testinal flora. The same statement may also apply to the raw food cure, which acquired considerable vogue some years ago. Fruits and milk are substances which fer- ment but do not putrefy. Hence, when the diet is exclusively confined to these articles, fermentative changes rather than putrefac- tion take place in the intestine, acids are formed instead of poisons, and for the time being the body is delivered from the destruct- ive influence of the highly potent toxins pro- duced by putrefactive germs when active 150 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST either within the body or outside of it. Raw foods of a vegetable character are alive and hence able to resist the action of bacteria. Vegetable foods taken in raw or uncooked state are digested before it is possible for them to undergo destructive changes, and thus their use discourages the growth of bacteria in the intestine, especially those of the putre- factive sort. There are also other benefits from the use of uncooked food. Dangerous Germs Made Harmless Bienstock showed that the colon germs, which, in the presence of protein (meat, eggs, etc.), produce indol and other highly active poisons capable of causing hardening of the arteries, headache, probably Bright's disease, and numerous other disorders, are, in the pres- ence of sugar, incapable of producing these poisonous substances, producing instead harmless acids. Sir Lauder Brunton, of England, and more recently Kennan, in this country, have shown that this is true of practically all putre- factive germs; that is, the germs which cause putrefaction when growing on protein will, if supplied with a sufficient amount of sugar, THE INTESTINAL FLORA 151 cease to produce putrefactive poisons and produce fermentation with harmless acids in- stead. In other words, putrefaction germs may be reformed by simply feeding them with sugar. This explains the fact that eggs, which of all substances most readily undergo putrefaction, may be perfectly preserved by the addition of sugar. It also explains the fact that the pioneer housewife and the no- madic Arab are able to maintain a supply of fresh meat by immersing cutlets in cow's milk or camel's milk. The writer has in his posses- sion a beefsteak which has been kept in a state of perfect preservation for twelve years (since June, 1906), by immersion in buttermilk made from a culture of the Bacillus Bulgaricus (the buttermilk has been changed frequently). It appears, then, that putrefactive organ- isms, which are now recognized as among the most common and deadly enemies of human life, may actually become harmless and even useful by supplying them with sugar, pro- vided this can be done at the proper time and in the proper place. The proportion of sugar must be at least two per cent. 152 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST How to Change the Intestinal Flora After studying this question for more than twenty years, or ever since the appearance of Bouchard's great work, "Autointoxication in Disease, or Self-Poisoning of the Individual," the writer became fully persuaded that it is possible to change the intestinal flora, and that this change is one of the most practical and most important means of combating the great majority of the chronic diseases with which the physician has to deal. A method which has been thoroughly tested may be briefly described as follows: To change the intestinal flora, three things are essential: I. To so regulate the diet that there will be left in the colon no putrescible food resi- dues. This is accomplished by eliminating from the diet for a few days all animal pro- teins, that is, meat, milk, and eggs, and also vegetable foods rich in protein, such as beans, peas, and cereals. Fats are also excluded be- cause they delay the movement of the food through the stomach and small intestine and encourage putrefaction in the colon. A diet consisting wholly of fruits or fruits and fresh THE INTESTINAL FLORA 153 green vegetables such as lettuce or cabbage, celery, and other green things is best. Malt sugar or milk sugar may be used freely. 2. The activity of the bowels must be in- creased to such a degree that the food residues will not be retained in the colon long enough to undergo putrefaction. This requires three or four efficient bowel movements daily, or at least one bowel movement after each meal. By the free use of bran or agar-agar and paraffin oil in some form, spontaneous movements may usually be secured. When necessary, the colon may be emptied by a thorough enema once or twice a day, using water at a tempera- ture of 80° F. or warm water (100° F.), fol- lowed by cool water. In children and in some persons who enjoy superb health, the bowels move four times daily; before breakfast, after breakfast, after dinner, and at bedtime. The idea entertained by many persons that frequent bowel movement is weakening, is wholly erroneous. The bowels move often in cases of diarrhoea for the purpose of carrying away poisons produced in the intestine by in- vading germs. The weakness felt is not due to the bowel movements but to the poisons, 154 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST some portion of which is absorbed in spite of Nature's vigorous efforts to eliminate them. 3. A third factor of importance, though less essential than the preceding, is the intro- duction of protective organisms, the lactic acid forming ferments or so-called buttermilk germs. There are several of these, and they are more effective in combination than alone. These ferments are best used at first in whey cultures rather than in milk, and large amounts of milk sugar (6-8 ounces daily) should be used with them. In extreme cases and when rapid results are desired, the cul- tures should be used by enema, as well as by mouth, thus planting the protective germs where they are most needed and may render most effective service. "The Fruit Regimen" The combination of these methods consti- tutes the "Fruit Regimen," a few days of which rarely fails to clear the tongue, sweeten the breath, and dissipate the foul odor of the stools, which become odorless or acquire a slight sour odor. When the tongue has been cleared, the "Milk Regimen" may be utilized with great THE INTESTINAL FLORA 155 advantage as a means of fixing in the intestine the protective germs which the "Fruit Regi- men" has introduced. The "Milk Regimen" is much the same as the "Fruit Regimen" except that milk is sub- stituted for fruit and is given every half hour and to the extent of five or six quarts daily. On this regimen, the bowels should move very freely, and the stools should be much like those of an infant. After two or three weeks of the "Milk Regi- men," the patient is prepared for the Anti- toxic Diet or Regimen. Antitoxic Diet This diet consists chiefly of fruits, cereals, and fresh vegetables, and should include a considerable amount of uncooked vegetables, such as lettuce, cucumbers and cabbage. The experiments at the Pasteur Institute have shown that potatoes and dates are partic- ularly valuable as antitoxic foods, probably be- cause the carbohydrates which they contain — starch in the potato, and sugar in the date — are not fully absorbed in the small intestine and reach the colon in larger amount than do the carbohydrates of most other foods. Car- 156 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST rots also were shown by Metchnikoff s experi- ments to be a valuable antitoxic food. Another specially valuable food, of which the writer has made much use with excellent success is oat- meal prepared by short cooking. The steel-cut oats or old-fashioned Scotch oats are better for the purpose than rolled oats. Instead of cook- ing a long time so as to insure the complete conversion of all the starch, the oatmeal should be stirred into boiling water and cooked for five minutes, then set aside for five minutes more, and then served. Oats prepared in this way constitute the brose of the Scotch Highlanders, and is most palatable. Nevertheless, a considerable portion is im- perfectly cooked and hence is not readily acted upon by the saliva and intestinal juices, and thus finds its way " into the colon, where it may feed the fermentation germs and by its presence prevent the putrefaction germs from making poisons by the decompo- sition of protein. This protective action may be increased by the addition of wheat bran to the oatmeal in the proportion of one part to three by volume measure. The bran will hasten the passage of the oatmeal through the intestinal canal and will thus increase the THE INTESTINAL FLORA 157 amount of carbohydrate which reaches the colon. An excellent breakfast food consists of equal parts by measure of corn meal, steel-cut oats and sterilized bran, cooked six to ten minutes. The free use of such saccharine fruits as prunes, figs, and raisins is also a valuable means of introducing carbohydrates in the most available form, since the germs which live in the colon thrive better on a diet of sugar than any other form of carbohydrates. Purple figs soaked in cold water for twenty- four hours are a very palatable laxative food. The Colon Not Intended to be a Sewek Nature never intended that the interior of the human intestine should be degraded to the condition of a privy vault or an obstructed sewer, flooding the blood with brain-and- nerve-paralyzing and disease-breeding poi- sons. This is clearly evident, not only by the observations of Levin at Spitzbergen, above referred to, but also by the discovery in South America of a parrot which lives wholly upon bananas, and the fecal discharges of which 158 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST have the fragrance of bananas and are in- offensive as bananas themselves. What nat- ural reason can be shown that food that enters the body clean, sweet and sterile should leave the body in a state horribly loathsome with corruption? Clean blood is a first essential for health of body and mind. Clean blood is impossible without a clean colon. Constipation is a fun- damental and almost universal evil which is the root of more human ills and perhaps more human misery, moral and mental as well as physical than any other cause. Fortunately it is not an incurable condition. The average civilized colon is badly crippled, but it may be greatly helped. An intelligent application of up-to-date knowledge of colon conditions may attain success in the most discouraging cases. Every case of constipation is curable, but not by means of any panacea. Each case must be studied and individual conditions must be dealt with in an intelligent and rational manner. The successful treatment of chronic con- stipation requires a careful study of each in- dividual case in the light of modern knowl- edge of the physiology of the colon and in ob- THE INTESTINAL FLORA 159 stinate cases the whole alimentary canal must be inspected by means of the X-ray with the opaque meal and enema. The intestinal flora must be changed. This is absolutely necessary to conquer constipa- tion. Putrefactive poisons paralyze the colon, while the harmless acids of fermentation are the normal stimulants of the intestine, hence the necessity for exchanging the wild bacteria for the protective germs which nature pro- vides as a bulwark against disease. The details of methods of treatment, diet, how to change the intestinal flora, and other matters that pertain to the practical manage- ment of the colon is given in other works by the author, especially "Colon Hygiene," and 1 'Autointoxication. ' ' By the use of these methods, many per- sons thought to be proper subjects for surgical treatment may be wholly relieved and re- stored to comfort and usefulness. The suffer- ing of subjects of chronic autointoxication is often so great that they are quite willing to submit to any treatment, medical or surgical, no matter how drastic, provided only that a fair prospect of relief is held out to them. With high hopes of relief from chronic 160 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST miseries, hundreds of persons have undergone operations for removal of the appendix, "shortcircuiting," or even removal of the colon, or some other radical procedure, and have then found themselves subject to the same miseries as before, often with aggravated intensity. The truth is that the "kinks," and most other morbid conditions which are thought to require surgical interference, are results rather than causes of the fundamental mischiefs, which must be corrected before any permanent benefit will be secured. The notion that the appendix is a useless "relic" and the colon a handicap and a menace which should have been long ago left behind in the march of evolution, is not in harmony with sound scientific principles. Nature is wise. Because the purpose of an organ is not under- stood, we should not feel at liberty to denounce it as cumbersome and dangerous. It is but a few years since the spleen was looked upon as a superfluous organ, if not a burden to the bodily economy. Now, we know that the func- tions of the spleen are of highest importance to the body. While it is possible for a person to live without it, at least for several years, its activity is known to be essential to the perfect THE INTESTINAL FLORA 161 working of the bodily machinery, especially of the defensive mechanisms. The thyroid gland was for ages regarded as of no use to an adult, though regarded of use in the early periods of development be- fore birth and during the first months of in- fancy. Now, we know that this gland has most important duties to perform in connec- tion with nutrition, especially in the protec- tion of the body against the poisons produced in the colon by the putrefaction of protein. Dogs whose thyroids have been removed die when fed on meat, but thrive on a diet from which meat is excluded, such as bread and milk. A minute body in the brain, not larger than a pea, once a mere anatomical curiosity, thought by the philosopher, Descartes, to be the seat of the soul, is now known to play a very important part in regulating growth. Disease of this minute structure may be ac- companied by loss of bodily symmetry. The hands and feet become gigantic in size, all out of proportion to the rest of the body. The nose or the lower jaw may become immensely too large for the rest of the face. The appendix vermiformis, long regarded 162 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST as a vestige and a trouble maker, is now known to be a leading factor in the highly important lubricating system of the colon. It is a great mucous follicle and pours out its lubricating mucus at just the point where it is most needed. Prof. MacEwen, of Edinboro, an eminent Scotch surgeon, and also the late Prof. Andrews, a distinguished Chicago sur- geon, called attention to this useful function of the appendix many years ago. A person who has had his appendix removed, has lost a valuable part of his lubricating mechanism. Such persons generally find it necessary to make constant use of paraffin oil to replace the function of the lost organ. As a matter of fact, a very large propor- tion of the appendices which are removed have no direct connection with the complaints for relief from which the operation is performed. After the operation, the patient suffers the same as before. The same things may be said of the colon. It is not a useless organ. Its purpose is to secure regular and rhythmical discharge of the food residues and body wastes instead of a constant discharge as in some birds and fishes, in which the colon is so short as to be of little THE INTESTINAL FLORA 163 use as a reservoir. When the colon is removed, nature proceeds to make a new reservoir by dilating the lower end of the ileum until it becomes as large as the normal colon. It has become evident that the fault with the modern colon is not that it is superfluous, but that it has been systematically abused by requiring it to deal with material which it was never intended to handle, as pointed out by the eminent Professor Keith of Lon- don. Nature intended the colon of man, as those of other primates, the orang and the chimpanzee, to be used as a reservoir for hold- ing for a few hours the residues of fruits and roots and tender shoots, the indigestible seeds, skins, and fibres of vegetable food stuffs, ma- terial incapable of undergoing putrefaction or giving rise to poisonous products of any sort. But by becoming a meat eater man has com- pelled his colon to deal with the putrescent fragments of undigested flesh, highly offensive material which the short colons of carnivorous animals dismiss quickly and handle with little injury, but which stored up in the capacious human colon for many hours, even several days, become a seething mass of corruption, a veritable Pandora's box of disease. 164 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST And so the conclusion to which sound rea- son and experience lead us is that the colon does not need to be eliminated by evolution or removed by surgery (except when hopelessly diseased), but that it needs to be reformed by proper training and return to a natural dietary. That these measures are successful has been demonstrated by the experience of the Battle Creek Sanitarium where they have been systematically employed in the treatment of more than one hundred thousand invalids within the last forty years, most of whom were suffering from chronic constipation and its consequences. NUTS A COMING FOOD STAPLE In these days when the question of food- stuffs is daily becoming more urgent and ab- sorbing it is natural that all available sources of supplies to meet one of the most urgent of all our human needs should be made the sub- ject of careful investigation. The exigencies of the great European war have compelled not only Germany but others of the belligerent na- tions to study nutritive values and the econom- ics of food more critically than ever before. Every possible source of food supply is being drawn upon to the fullest extent possible by the nations of Central Europe. Efforts have been made to extract nutrient material from such unpromising sources as straw and saw- dust, naturally with no encouraging measure of success. The writer has followed these researches and discussions with great interest. Numer- ous important facts in relation to human nu- trition which have been long known to scien- tists but of which the common people have been ignorant have been brought to the atten- 166 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST tion of the hungry masses and have received practical application in the masterly efforts which have been made for their relief. It is probable that the problem of human nutrition is at the present time being solved in a more scientific and practical way by the German people than the world has ever seen done be- fore. In all this discussion, however, one of the first and most striking facts upon which pub- lic attention was focused after the beginning of the great conflict was the necessity for lim- iting the supply of flesh foods. The reason for this is obvious. All the densely populated na- tions of Europe depend chiefly upon outside sources for their meat supplies. This must be true of any densely populated country for the reason that an acre of land that is devoted to wheat, for example, will produce nearly ten times as much protein, one of the most essen- tial of all the food principles, as the same area of land devoted to pasturage for beef cattle and, as will be shown later in this paper, the same land devoted to nuts may produce an even greater amount of food protein together with other essential food principles. Notwith- standing this fact, the writer has seen no men- NUTS A COMING FOOD STAPLE 167 tion made of nuts in the discussions of food supplies which have grown out of the Euro- pean war. The explanation doubtless is to be found in the fact that nuts have heretofore cut so small a figure in national food supplies that, under the present emergency conditions, they are naturally overlooked entirely. As a matter of fact, nuts have been used as a luxury rather than as a staple article of food ; but as the public become better informed respecting the high food value of nuts and especially in view of the steadily rising cost of flesh meats, the nut is certain to gain higher appreciation, and the w r riter has no doubt that sometime in the future nuts will become a lead- ing constituent of the national bill of fare and in so doing, will displace certain foodstuffs which today are held in high esteem but which in the broader light of the next century will be regarded as objectionable and inferior foods and will give place to the products of the various varieties of nut trees which will then be recognized as the choicest of all foods. Botanically, a nut is a fruit ; but nuts differ so widely both in composition and appearance from the foods commonly called fruits that they are properly classed by themselves. 168 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST In nutritive value the nut far exceeds all other food substances; for example, the aver- age number of food units per pound furnished by half a dozen of the more common varieties of nuts is 3231 calories while the average of the same number of varieties of cereals is 1654 calories, half the value of nuts. The average food value of the best vegetables is 300 calories per pound and of the best fresh fruits grown in this country is 278 calories. The average value of the six principal flesh foods is 810 calories per pound or one-fourth that of nuts. The superior nutritive value of nuts is clearly shown by the following tables based upon the analyses of Atwater and others: TABLE I. Composition and Fuel Value of the Edible Portion of Nuts. Protein Fats Carbohy- Ash Food value drates per pound per ct. per ct. per ct. per ct. Calories Almonds 21.0 54.9 17.3 2.0 3,030 Brazil nuts 17.0 66.8 7.0 3.9 3,329 Filberts 15.6 65.3 13.0 2.4 3,432 Hickory nuts 15.4 67.4 11.4 2.1 3,495 Pecan nuts 11.0 71.2 13.3 1.5 3,633 English walnuts ...16.7 64.4 14.8 1.3 3,305 Chestnuts, fresh ... 6.2 5.4 42.1 1.3 1,125 Chestnuts, dried ...10.7 7.0 74.2 2.2 1,875 Acorns 8.1 37.4 48.0 2.4 2,718 Beechnuts 21.9 57.4 13.2 3.5 3,263 Butternuts 27.9 61.2 3.4 3.0 3,371 Black walnuts 27.6 56.3 11.7 1.9 3,105 Cocoanuts 5.7 50.6 27.9 1.7 2,986 Cocoanuts shredded . 6.3 57.3 31.6 1.3 3,125 Pistachios, kernels. .22.6 54.5 15.6 3.1 3,010 Pine nuts or pinons 14.6 61.9 17.3 2.8 3,364 Peanuts, raw 25.8 38.6 24.4 2.0 2,560 Peanuts, roasted ...30.5 49.2 16.2 2.5 3,177 Utchi nuts 2.9 .2 77.5 1.5 1,453 NUTS A COMING FOOD STAPLE 169 With the exception of smoked bacon, there is no flesh food which even approaches the nut in nutritive value, and bacon owes its high value to the fact that it consists almost exclu- sively of fat. That the nut is appreciated as a dainty is attested by the frequency with which it ap- pears as a dessert and the extensive use of vari- ous nuts as confections. That nuts do not hold a more prominent place in the national bill of fare is due chiefly to two causes; first, the popular idea that nuts are highly indiges- tible, and second, their comparatively high price. The notion that nuts are difficult of diges- tion has really no foundation in fact. The idea is probably the natural outgrowth of the cus- tom of eating nuts at the close of a meal when an abundance, more likely a super-abundance, of highly nutritious foods has already been eaten and the equally injurious custom of eat- ing nuts between meals. Neglect of thorough mastication must also be mentioned as a com- mon cause of indigestion following the use of nuts. Nuts are generally eaten dry and have a firm hard flesh which requires thorough use of the organs of mastication to prepare them 170 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST for the action of the several digestive juices. Experiments made in Germany showed that nuts are not digested at all but pass through the alimentary canal like foreign bodies un- less reduced to a smooth paste in the mouth. Particles of nuts the size of small seeds wholly escaped digestion. The Origin or Peanut Butter Having been for more than fifty years actively interested in promoting the use of nuts as a staple food, I have given considerable thought and study to their dietetic value and have made many experiments. About twenty- five years ago it occurred to me that one of the above objections to the extensive dietetic use of nuts might be overcome by mechanical pre- paration of the nut before serving so as to re- duce it to a smooth paste and thus insure the preparation for digestion which the average eater is prone to neglect. The result was a product which I called peanut butter. I was much surprised at the readiness with which the product sprang into public favor. Several years ago I was informed by a wholesale gro- cer of Chicago that the firm's sales of peanut butter amounted on an average to a carload a NUTS A COMING FOOD STAPLE 171 week. I think it is safe to estimate that not less than one thousand carloads of this product are annually consumed in this country. The increased demand for peanuts for making pea- nut butter led to the development of "corners" in the peanut market and doubled the price and the annual production. I am citing my experience with the peanut not for the purpose of recommending this product, for I am obliged to confess that I was soon compelled to abandon the use of peanut butter prepared from roasted nuts, for the reason that the process of roasting renders the nut indigestible to such a degree that it was not adapted to the use of invalids, but simply as an illustration of the readiness with which the public accepts a new dietetic idea when it happens to strike the popular fancy. Delicious nut butters may be prepared from true nuts such as the almond, filbert, and pine nut, by blanching and crushing, without roasting. Peanuts require steam roasting. Ways must be found to render the use of nuts practical by adapting them to our culin- ary and dietetic customs and to overcome the popular objection to their use by a widespread and efficient campaign of education. 172 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST Food Economy It has long been predicted by economists that the time would come when a densely pop- ulated world would be compelled to derive its sustenance directly from the soil. The present high prices of meat were anticipated more than twenty years ago by the officials of the United States Department of Agriculture. The increase of our human population and the decrease of our animal population have both progressed more rapidly than was anticipated, and the artificial conditions imposed by the world war have still further increased the price of meat and made meatless days a necessity. Thus the question, Is meat essential to com- plete human nutrition? has become most per- tinent. A fundamental error is embodied in the popular faith in the high protein ration. The physiologists are at least partly at fault. Lie- big's dictum, which made protein the essential food factor in supporting work, has misled the whole civilized world for more than half a cen- tury. The dietaries of institutions, armies, whole nations have been based upon a concep- tion which modern science has shown to be NUTS A COMING FOOD STAPLE 173 ly false, and the result has been an eco- c loss which staggers belief, and a de- "ion of human life and efficiency which shadows most other malign influences. As an abstract scientific proposition this question was answered by the physiologists years ago by laboratory experiments. Ac- cording to Magnus Levy, one of the world's most eminent authorities, "It is indeed true that the vegetable albuminous substances as they occur in nature are equal in nutritive value to an equivalent protein of animal origin." More recent studies, however, by McCol- lum and others have shown that the selection of the vegetable foodstuffs which shall com- pose the bill-of-fare is not a matter of indif- ference. There is a difference in proteins. Every vegetable produces proteins which are peculiar to itself. Animal proteins also differ, but apparently less widely than do vegetable proteins, and many vegetable proteins differ very greatly in character from those which compose the highly vitalized parts of the hu- man body. Fortunately, vegetable proteins do not all differ in the same way. Some differ in one di- 174 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST rection, others in the exact opposite direction. And so by the proper selection of vegetable foodstuffs it is possible to make a combina- tion which will supply the human body with just the sort of material which it requires for building purposes and for repairs. Taking the protein of the human body for a standard, it is found that the proteins which are found in cereals, green and root veg- etables, legumes and most other vegetable products are incomplete. They are lacking in certain elements which are absolutely essential to the building of healthy human blood and tissues. Careful chemical analysis, however, has shown in recent years that the proteins of nuts, or at least of some of them, are complete pro- teins. Nuts, in fact, furnish proteins of such fine quality that they are capable of comple- menting other foodstuffs. Their proteins supply the elements necessary to render com- plete the proteins of cereals and other vege- table foods. This discovery is one of the high- est importance since it opens a door of escape for the race from the threatened extinction by starvation at some future period, perhaps not so very remote. NUTS A COMING FOOD STAPLE 175 Advantages of a Nut Diet This fact places the nut in an exceedingly important position as a foodstuff. In face of vanishing meat supplies it is most comforting to know that meats of all sorts may be safely replaced by nuts not only without loss, but with a decided gain. Nuts have several advan- tages over flesh foods which are well worth considering. 1. Nuts are free from waste products, uric acid, urea, carnine, and other tissue wastes. 2. Nuts are aseptic, free from putrefac- tive bacteria, and do not readily undergo de- cay either in the body or outside of it. Meats, on the other hand, are practically always in an advanced stage of putrefaction, as found in the meat markets. Ordinary meats contain from three million to ten times that number of bac- teria per ounce, and such meats as Hamburg- er steak often contain more than a billion put- refactive organisms to the ounce. Nuts are clean and sweet. 3. Nuts are free from trichinae, tape- worm, and other parasites, as well as other in- fections due to specific disease. Nuts are in 176 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST good health when gathered and remain so un- til eaten. The contrast between the delectable product of the beautiful walnut, chestnut or pecan tree and the abbatoir recalls the story of the Tennessee school teacher who was told when she made inquiry about a certain should- er of pork which had been promised in part payment for services but had not arrived, "Dad didn't kill the pig;" "and why not/' said the teacher. "Because," replied the observing youngster, "He got we[ll." Nearly all the cows slaughtered are tuberculous. They are killed to be eaten because too sick to longer serve as community wet nurses. It is also worthy of note that the fat of nuts exists in a finely divided state and that in the chewing of nuts a fine emulsion is produced so that nuts enter the stomach in a form best adapted for prompt digestion. Another question which will naturally arise is this : if nuts are to be granted the place of a staple in our list of food supplies, will it be safe to accept them as a substitute for flesh foods? Beefsteak with many people has become a veritable fetish, but the experiments of Chit- tenden and others have demonstrated that the NUTS A COMING FOOD STAPLE 177 amount of protein needed by the body daily is so small that it is scarcely possible to arrange a bill of fare to include flesh foods without making the protein intake excessive. This is because the ordinary foodstuffs other than meat contain a sufficient amount of protein to meet the needs of the body. Nuts present their protein in combination with so large a proportion of easily digestible fat that there is comparatively little danger of getting an ex- cess. It is also worthy of note that the protein of nuts is superior in quality to that of ordi- nary vegetables or meats. The careful an- alyses made in recent years have shown that the protein of nuts, at least of a number of them, contain all the elements needed for build- ing up complete body proteins ; in other words, nuts furnish perfect proteins, which are not supplied so abundantly by any other vegetable product. A False Economy From an economic standpoint, the rearing of animals for food is a monstrous extrava- gance. According to Professor Henry, dean of the Agricultural Department of the Uni- versity of Wisconsin, and author of an author- 178 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST itative work on foods and feeding, one hun- dred pounds of food fed to a steer produce less than three pounds of food in the form of flesh. In other words, we must feed the steer thirty- three pounds of corn in order to get back one pound of food in the form of steak. Such an extravagant waste can be tolerated only so long as it is possible to produce a large excess of foodstuffs. It is stated, as a matter of fact, that at the present time scarcely more than ten per cent, of the corn raised in the United States is directly consumed by human beings. A large part of it is wasted in feeding to ani- mals. This economic loss has been long known to practical men but it has been regarded as unavoidable since meat has been supposed to be absolutely essential as an article of food ; but the experience of Germany since the be- ginning of the present war, as well as of Ja- pan, China, and India for many centuries, has fully demonstrated the possibility of eliminat- ing meat from the national bill of fare. The use of nuts as a staple article of food is not an experiment. All the higher apes, man's nearest relatives in the animal world, thrive on nuts. Many savage tribes live very largely on nuts. The Indians of the foothills NUTS A COMING FOOD STAPLE 179 of California gather every fall large quan- tities of nuts which they store for winter use. The early settlers of California reported that many tribes of Indians in that part of the United States lived almost wholly upon acorns. Before the great oak forests of this country were cut down, many millions of hogs were fattened on mast, and the price of pork depended more upon the acorn crop than on the corn crop. The peasantry of southern France and northern Italy during half the year make two meals a day on chestnuts. As a matter of fact, milk and eggs supply essentially the same protein that is furnished by meat, and milk protein in some respects su- perior to that of meat; but milk is rapidly rising in price and will doubtless go still high- er for the reason that for every pound of food in the form of milk it is necessary to feed a cow more than five times the amount of food obtained; and for every pound of food in the form of eggs we must throw away nearly twenty pounds of good food. So it is more than probable that the time may not be far distant when the people of this country, like those of some other countries, and like our primitive ancestors who lived wholly upon the 180 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST products of the forests, and our modern bio- logical relatives, the orang-utan, the chimpan- zee, and the gorilla, must depend chiefly upon the products of the vegetable kingdom for their sustenance with the addition of eggs and milk. It is important then to know that, if such a time comes, it would be possible so to ar- range the bill of fare that the race may lose nothing of vigor or energy because of the re- striction in diet. As a matter of fact, there is good reason to believe that if man had never acquired his present omnivorous habits and had adhered to his original vegetable regimen, he might have escaped a very large proportion of the multitudinous ills which have greatly impaired his efficiency and are even threaten- ing extinction of the race. The high price of meat of which so much complaint has been made in recent years is not likely to recede. The high price is not due to manipulations of the market, but to natural causes the chief of which is the limitation of pasturage and is the consequence of a decrease in the number of livestock. As the country be- comes more and more densely settled, the diffi- culty of supplying the demand for meat will NUTS A COMING FOOD STAPLE 181 increase, and in time the necessity for utilizing every foot of ground in the most efficient man- ner, will necessarily bring about a change in the dietetic habits of the people. Not one ex- ample can be found in the world of a densely populated country dependent upon its own re- sources in which flesh foods constitute any con- siderable part of the national bill of fare. Since Germany has been nearly shut off from the outside world by the present war, the govern- ment has found it necessary to restrict the con- sumption of meat to one-half pound per week for each adult. All other European countries are equally dependent on outside sources for their meat supply. The time will certainly come when nuts and nut trees will become a most important food resource. If a reform in this direction could be effected within the next ten years, the result would be a disappearance to a large ex- tent of the complaint of the high cost of living. James Hill said the basis for complaint was not the high cost of living, but the cost of high living. I should prefer to say that the real cause for complaint was wrong living rather than high living, or necessarily high cost. With right living the cost will be automatical- 182 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST ly reduced. For example, suppose a person were content to choose the peanut as his chief source of protein and fat, the elimination of the butcher's bill for meat and the grocer's bill for butter would at once cut out two-thirds of the expense incurred for food. A Personal Experience When a student in college more than forty years ago, the writer lived three months on a diet such as has been above suggested, at an average expense of exactly six cents a day. This was the total amount expended for raw foodstuffs. I paid my landlady five times as much for preparing and serving the food, and had reason for believing that some portion of my supplies was utilized by others than my- self. As evidence of the fact that the experi- ment was not dangerous, I may add that I have pursued the same meatless dietary dur- ing my entire lifetime since, as I had done for ten years before, and in my sixty-seventh am still alive and hard at work. Man is naturally a frugivorous animal. According to Cuvier, the renowned French naturalist, the natural diet of human beings, like that of those other primates, the orang- NUTS A COMING FOOD STAPLE 183 utan, the chimpanzee, and the gorilla, consists of fruits, nuts, tender shoots and grains. A sturdy Scotch highlander told me that his diet consisted of brose, bannocks, and potatoes, and that he rarely ever tasted meat. When asked what he fed his dogs, he replied, "The same as I eat myself, sir." The highbred fox- hounds of the southern states are fed on corn- meal, oatmeal and bread, and rarely taste flesh of any sort. Dogs thus fed are hardier, health- ier, have more endurance, better wind, keener scent, greater intelligence, and are more easily trained than meat fed dogs. A diet which is safe for carnivorous animals must certainly be safe for human beings who belong to a class of animals all representatives of which, with the exception of man, are flesh abstainers. Some years ago I experimented with vari- ous sorts of carnivorous animals for the pur- pose of ascertaining whether nuts could be made a complete substitute for meat. Among the various animals utilized for the experiment was a young wolf from the northwest that had never eaten anything but fresh raw meat. Af- ter giving the animal one day to get accus- tomed to its new surroundings and to acquire a good appetite I gave him a breakfast of nuts 184 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST properly prepared and was delighted to find that he took to the new ration without the slightest hesitation and remained in excellent health during the several months of the experi- ment. I succeeded perfectly in substituting nuts for meat with all the animals experi- mented upon including a fish hawk, with the single exception of an ancient bald headed eagle which refused to be converted. The First Mammals Were Nut-Eaters I have long had a suspicion that the so- called carnivorous animals were all at some remote time nut-eaters; the so-called carniv- orous teeth would be as useful in tearing off the husks of cocoanuts and similar fruits as for tearing and eating flesh. It is gratifying to be assured by the Emi- nent Prof. Matthews, that the first mammals were nut-eaters and vegetarians and that our remote ancestors were nut and fruit eaters. They may have gobbled an insect now and then but their staple food was fruits and nuts with tender shoots and succulent roots, which is still true of those old fashioned forest folks, the primates of which the orang-utan, the chimpanzee and the gorilla are consistent rep- NUTS A COMING FOOD STAPLE 185 resentatives, while their near relatives, also a primate, civilized man, has departed from his original bill of fare and has exploited the bills of fare of the whole animal kingdom. The keeper of the famous big apes of the London Zoo informed me that they were never given meat. Even the small monkeys, gen- erally regarded as insectivorous, were confined to a rigid vegetarian fare and were thriving. Whole races of men, comprising many mil- lions, live their entire lives without meats of any sort, and when fed a sufficient amount are wonderfully vigorous, prolific, enduring and intelligent. Witness the Brahmins of India, the Buddhists of China and Japan and the teeming millions of Central Africa. The World's Pedestrian Record Won by a Nut Eater Carl Mann, the winner of the great walk- ing match between Berlin and Dresden, per- formed his great feat on a diet of nuts with lettuce and fruits. Weston, the long distance champion, never eats meat when on a long walk. The Tarahu- mara Indians, the fleetest and most enduring runners in the world, are strict vegetarians. 186 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST The gorilla, the king of the Congo forests, is a nut-feeder. Milo, the mighty Greek, was a flesh-abstainer as was also Pythagoras, the first of the Greek philosophers, Seneca, the noble Roman senator and Plutarch, the fam- ous biographer. The writer has excluded meat from his bill of fare for more than fifty years, and has within the last forty years, supervised the treatment of more than a hundred thou- sand sick people at the Battle Creek Sanitar- ium on a meatless diet and superintended the activities of a family of workers averaging for many years more than 1000, who are also flesh-abstainers, no meat being served at the Sanitarium to either patients or workers. Even carnivorous animals flourish on a diet of nuts with other vegetable foods and cooked cereals. The Turks mix nuts with their pilaff of rice and the Armenians add nuts to their boolghoor, a dish prepared from wheat which has been cooked and dried. With the addition of milk or eggs, a flesh- less diet is not only absolutely safe and suffi- cient but in every way superior to a flesh diet. NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 187 Nuts May Save the Race In view of these facts it is most interesting to know that in nuts, the most neglected of all well known food products, we find the assur- ance of an ample and complete food supply for all future time, even though necessity should compel the total abandonment of our present forms of animal industry. One of the great advantages of the nut is that with few exceptions, it may be eaten di- rect from the hand of nature without culinary preparation of any sort. Indeed, the com- mon custom in offering nuts as dessert is an acknowledgment that the refined chemistry of nature's laboratory permits of no improve- ment by the clumsy methods of the kitchen. The Nut is a Fruit with a Shell In the process of ripening, the actinic rays of the sun digest the crude starch found in the green fruit and convert it into delicious fats and sugars ready for prompt utilization. The protein of the nut resembles the casein of milk and requires no cooking to render it readily digestible. The only preparation the nut needs is thorough mastication to insure the 188 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST prompt admixture and action of the diges- tive fluids. Mastication is chiefly a mechani- cal process and may be very largely substi- tuted by crushing the nut into a paste or grind- ing it into a fine meal. More than fifty years ago it had been demonstrated that flesh foods are not an es- sential part of the dietary of man. Cuvier, the great French naturalist had stated that man's natural diet was the same as that of the chimpanzee and the orang-utan and consisted of fruits, nuts, soft grains and tender shoots. The evidence of the scientific accuracy of Cuvier's statement was so conclusive that the writer adopted the natural diet and has fol- lowed it since. This journal, during this time, has very earnestly advocated the biologic diet and thousands of people have been persuaded to adopt it. In the Battle Greek Sanitarium more than 100,000 sick people besides employees, stu- dents, friends of patients and guests, number- ing at least half as many more persons have been introduced to a fleshless bill of fare often with very evident and very great benefit. In this institution no small interest has been taken in nuts as a part of nature's scheme NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 189 of human feeding, and a conspicuous place has been given them in our bill of fare. During all this period extensive inquiries have been carried on, having for their purpose the devel- opment of the nutritive properties of all sorts of foodstuffs and many thousands of experi- ments with nuts have been made in food labor- atories. In the course of these experiments the simple process of making peanut butter was hit upon which has since developed into a great industry. A process for making a vege- table substitute for milk, malted nuts, was also perfected. By request of the U. S. De- partment of Agriculture, experiments were carried on to find a vegetable substitute for meat which resulted in the production of pro- tose, a nut preparation, which to a considerable degree, resembles meat in appearance, taste and odor, having a slight fibre like potted meat. Some hundreds of tons of these nut foods have been made and used and they have proved to be complete nutritive substitutes for meat. 190 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST Nuts a Good Food for Nursing Mothers and Infants The increasing incapacity of American mothers to provide lacteal nourishment for their infants has for years been the subject of much discussion among physicians and has come to be regarded as a just occasion for alarm as an evidence of race degeneracy and a potent cause of infant mortality. Statistics show that the birth rate is rapidly falling in the United States as well as in all other civilized countries. At the present rate of decline no babies will be born in the year 2,000. The American woman is for some reason losing the capacity for motherhood. It seems that the maternal fount is drying up and with the loss of capacity for feeding her off- spring, the American woman is losing her fe- cundity. The ability to bear and to feed off- spring is a physiologic unity. With failure of one function there is a corresponding decline in the other. NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 191 The Blight of the Baby Crop There are born in this country every year 2,500,000 babies. Of these 300,000 die before they are one year old. The mortality of bot- tle-fed infants is ten to twenty times as great as that of those who are breast fed. In other words, the failure of mothers to nurse their in- fants is responsible for the death of scores of thousands of infants annually. Every year we lose babies enough to people a large city because they are not supplied with their nat- ural food, breast milk, for which cow's milk is by no means a complete substitute. A matter of such serious moment has nat- urally received no small amount of attention. We have a national society devoted to the "Prevention of Infant Mortality." Numer- ous experts have devoted much time to the study of this question. Many theories and conjectures have been presented, but few facts. Dr. Chalmers Watson of Edinburgh, some years ago made extensive feeding experi- ments upon rats which led him to the conclu- sion that the increased consumption of meat was the potent cause of the failure in the geni- tive power of the British race. He found that 192 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST a meat diet caused in rats within two or three generations marked degeneration of the sex- ual glands, shriveling of the breasts and ster- ility. This eminent physiologist noted that in the British Islands the decline of the birth rate had been simultaneous with the marked increase in the consumption of meat within the last fifty years. Recently, additional light has been thrown upon this subject which is of special interest to those who are concerned with dietetics. Interesting Experiments At the Detroit, Michigan, Woman's Hos- pital and Infants' Home there has recently been conducted by Dr. Hoobler an extensive series of experiments for the purpose of de- termining the influence of diet upon the milk production of a nursing mother. It has long been known that a simple increase of food or of fat has no other effect than to make the mother fat without increasing the flow of milk. Dr. Hoobler's experiments had for their purpose to determine the influence of individual foods and specially arranged dietar- ies upon the production of milk. Studies were made of the effects of meat, eggs, cow's milk, a NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 193 strictly vegetable dietary (fruits, grains and vegetables), and nuts. The influence of the diet was judged by the following points: 1. The amount of milk produced. 2. The food value of the milk. 3. The effect upon the mother as regards loss or gain of flesh. It was found that a diet consisting largely of nuts (fifty per cent.) was far superior to any other dietary and in every particular. The amount of milk was larger than the av- erage (14.8%), the food value was greater (30%), and the mother did better. It was noted that the mothers "took the diet readily and in fact enjoyed it." (Jour. Am. Med. Assn. Aug. 12, 1917.) The experimenter explicitly states in his report before the American Medical Associa- tion (June, 1917), that "nut protein seems in every way as suitable for elaborating milk protein as does animal protein." This is an exceedingly important observation for it dem- onstrates two very interesting and basic facts : 1. That animal protein may be wholly dis- pensed with; that is, that a diet from which meat, milk and eggs are wholly excluded is 194 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST capable of affording adequate nourishment even for a nursing mother. 2. That nuts are necessary to give com- pleteness to a diet from which milk, meat and eggs are excluded. The special method of research adopted by Dr. Hoobler provides a most delicate bio- logic test for the nutrient value of a food. The test shows the nut to be superior to meat, milk or eggs or all of these foods together in pro- ducing the highest degree of nutritive efficien- cy. It has heretofore been claimed that the body can make body protein more easily out of the protein of meat, milk, or eggs, that is, animal protein of some sort, than from vege- table protein. It now appears that this is not true. Nut protein is the best of all sources upon which the body may draw for its sup- plies of tissue building and repairing material. NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 195 Low Comparative Cost or Nuts The high price of nuts is constantly urged as an objection to their use as a staple. It is probable that a largely increased demand would lead to so great an increase in the sup- ply that the cost of production, and hence the cost to the consumer, would be decreased. But even at the present prices the choicest va- rieties of nuts are cheaper than meats if equiv- alent food values are compared. This is clear- ly shown by the following table which indi- cates the amounts of various flesh foods which are equivalent to one pound of walnut meats. One pound of walnut meats equals in food value each of the following: Pounds Beef loin, lean 4.00 Beef ribs, lean 6.50 Beef neck, lean 9.50 Veal 5.50 Mutton leg, lean 4.20 Ham, lean 3.00 Fowls 4.00 Chicken, broilers 10.00 Red Bass 25.00 Trout , 4.80 Frogs' legs 15.00 Oysters 13.50 196 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST Founds Lobsters 22.00 Eggs 5.00 Milk 9.50 Evaporated cream 4.00 But the great economic importance of the encouragement of nut culture in every civil- ized land is best shown by comparing the amount of food which may be annually pro- duced by an acre of land planted to nut trees and the same area devoted to the production of beef. The writer is credibly informed that two acres of land and two years are required to produce a steer weighing 600 pounds. The product of one acre for one year would be one- fourth as much, or 150 pounds of steer. The same land planted to walnut trees would pro- duce, if I am correctly informed, an average of at least 100 pounds per tree per annum for the first twenty years. Forty trees to the acre would aggregate 4,000 pounds of nuts, or 1,000 pounds of walnut meats. The high- est food value which could be ascribed to the 150 pounds of beef would be 150,000 calories or food units. The food value of the nut meats would be 3,000,000 calories, or twenty times as much food from the nut trees as from NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 197 the fattened steer, and food of the same gen- eral character, that is protein and fat, but of greatly superior quality. One acre of walnut trees, 40 trees to the acre, will produce every year food equal to any one of the following items : 20,000 lbs. brook trout 5,000 lbs. beef (eight steers) 16,000 lbs. chicken broilers 34,000 lbs. lobsters 30,000 lbs. oysters 66,000 eggs (5,000 dozen) 7,000 qts. milk A ton of mutton (13 sheep) 250,000 frogs. And when one acre will do so much, think of the product of a million acres. Ten times the product of all the fisheries of the country. Half as much as all the poultry of the country. One-seventh as much as all the beef pro- duced. More than twice the value of all the sheep. Half as much as all the pork. And many millions of acres may be thus utilized in nut culture. 198 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST And the walnut is not the only promising tree. The hickory, the pecan, the butternut, the filbert, and the pinon are all capable of producing equal or greater results. A single acre of nut trees will produce pro- tein enough to feed four persons a year and fat enough for twice that number of average persons. So 25,000,000 acres of nut trees would more than supply the whole people of the United States with their two most expen- sive foodstuffs. Cereals and fresh vegetables, our cheapest foods, would be needed for the carbohydrate portion of the dietary. Just think of it. A little nut orchard 200 miles square supplying one-third enough food to feed one hundred million of citizens. The trouble is the hogs and cattle are eating up our food supplies. We feed a steer 100 pounds of food and get back only 2.8 pounds. If we plant 10 pounds of corn we get back 500 pounds. If we plant one walnut we get back in twenty harvests a ton of choicest food. In nut culture there is a treasury of wealth and health and national prosperity and safety that is at present little appreciated. Here is a veritable treasury of wealth, a potential food supply which may save the NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 199 world from any suggestion of hunger for cen- turies to come if properly utilized. Every man who cuts down a timber tree should be required to plant a nut tree. A nut tree has a double value. It produces valuable timber and yields every year a rich harvest of food while it is growing. Every highway should be lined with nut trees. Nut trees will grow on land on which no other crop will grow and which is even worthless for grazing. The pinon flourishes on the bleak and barren peaks of the rockies. The nut should no longer be considered a table luxury. It should become a staple ar- ticle of food and may most profitably replace the pork and meats of various sorts which are inferior foods and are recognized as prolific sources of disease. Ten nut trees planted for each inhabitant will insure the country against any possibility of food shortage. A row of nut trees on each side of our 3,000,000 miles of country roads will provide protein for a population of 100,- 000,000. With a vanishing animal industry, nut-culture offers the only solution of the ques- tion of food supply. As the late Prof. Virchow said, "The future is with the vegetarians." 200 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST Something Must Be Done When one contemplates the fact that the meat supply of the world is rapidly diminish- ing, and realizes that there is no probability that the diminished supply of animal food- stuffs will ever be materially increased but rather will steadily diminish, the importance of encouraging nut-culture will be appreciated. The human body must have for its perfect nu- trition and maintenance, special proteins which appear to be found only in animal foods and nuts. To nuts, then, we must look for the future sustenance of the race. At least nuts must be used as a supplement to other vege- table foods, and in increasing quantity as the meat supply decreases. It is certainly high time that governments, state and national, were giving attention to this highly important question. Millions of nut trees should be planted on public lands, along railroads and highways, in mountain regions and other waste places which have been denuded of their primitive forest growths. Nut pines, of which, according to Dr. Morris, there are thirty different species adapted to all conditions of climate and soil, black wal- NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 201 nuts and hickories in the north, and in the south pecans and other subtropical nut trees, should be planted on an extensive scale. In the near future vast forests of these precious food-producing trees will be needed to supply the nutriment required by teeming millions of hungry people in this country and Europe. Every farmer should prepare to plant a few acres of nut orchard next spring. There are millions of second growth hickories of the pignut and other worthless varieties growing in pastures and by the roadside which by graft- ing with shagbark cuttings may become pro- lific producers of one of the best of nuts. Nut growing is certainly destined to be- come one of the most important of our agri- cultural industries. Half a century hence the nut crop will far exceed in volume and in value our present animal industry. If the U. S. Government will secure the planting of ten nut trees for each of its 100 r 000,000 inhabitants, all the pastures may be converted into corn or wheat fields and all the packing houses into factories and the flocks of sheep and herds of swine and cattle may disappear, and yet no one will suffer from pro- tein starvation. 202 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST Twenty million acres of land in walnut trees would suffice to furnish daily one-fourth of a pound of protein and half a pound of fat, the equivalent of a pound of beefsteak, and more than half a pound of butter for every man, woman and child in the republic. To what better use could we put our roadsides and a small slice of our public lands of which hun- dreds of millions of acres are lying waste and idle? And lands not fit for other purposes might be used for some species of nut trees. Nuts should be eaten at every meal and made a substantial part of the bill of fare. So long as the nut is regarded as a dainty, suit- ble only for dessert the demand will be limited. But as its merits come to be appreciated it will be in greater demand and the industry will rapidly grow in volume. It is important, how- ever, that the public should be educated to look upon this choicest of all nature's products as a staple food and should give to it its proper place in the national bill of fare. The nut is the choicest aggregation of the materials essential for the building of sound human tissues, done up in a hermetically sealed package ready to be delivered by the gracious hand of Nature to those who are fortunate NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 203 enough to appreciate the value of this finest of earth's bounties. The Best Nuts The family of edible nuts is small com- pared with the great variety of luscious fruits which abound in all parts of the world. In this country, something more than a dozen excellent nuts offer, however, a sufficient variety to satisfy gustatory needs. With two or three exceptions, nuts are rich in fat and protein and low in carbohydrates, whereas fruits, almost without exception, con- sist chiefly of carbohydrates, containing very little protein and almost no fats. Carbohy- drates in nuts exist almost wholly in the form of sugar and dextrine, whereas in fruits we find, in addition, several varieties of acids. Nuts are the most highly nourishing of all foodstuffs. With the exception of the chest- nut, the peanut, and the litchi nut, the aver- age nutritive value of nuts in general is about 200 calories to the ounce, or double the value of an equal quantity of starch or sugar. Of the nuts which grow in this country, the most important are the almond, the English walnut, the pecan and the peanut. The native 204 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST black walnut, the hickory nut, the pinon, the hazelnut, and the beech-nut are all valuable nuts which, by cultivation, might furnish enor- mous additions to our food supply. This is particularly true of the black walnut. Among the imported nuts, the most im- portant are the Brazil nut, the cocoanut, the pistachio, and the recently introduced litchi nut. The Almond This delicious nut may be placed at the head of the list as perhaps the finest of all the members of the nut family. One-fifth the weight of the almond consists of protein of the very finest quality, a larger proportion of this food element than is found in the best beefsteak, and it may be added that meat is in other respects inferior. Besides, the almond affords more than half its weight of a most delicious and highly di- gestible oil, together with about one-sixth its weight of sugar, sufficient to give to it the characteristic property which gave rise to the ancient eulogistic phrase, "as sweet as a nut." Besides these rich properties, the almond con- tains a peculiar substance, emulsin, by the aid of which it is possible to prepare from blanched NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 205 and crushed almonds, with the addition of water, a most delicious milk or cream, which, with the addition of a little sugar, very closely resembles, not only in appearance but also in nutritive properties, modified cows' milk. The almond has the advantage over many other nuts in the fact that the astringent, leath- ery skin with which it is covered, may be eas- ily removed by the simple process of blanching. An ounce of almonds blanched and slight- ly roasted, or crushed and served as a nut butter, is a most wholesome addition to any meal, and may be used once or twice a day with advantage. The Hickory Nut and the Pecan The meat of the shellbark hickory nut is a most delicious morsel. It is richer in fat than any other nut with the exception of the pecan, a variety of the hickory which contains two- thirds its weight of easily digestible oil, with 15 per cent protein and 11 per cent carbohy- drate. A pound of hickory nut meats is equal in nutritive value to more than 4 pounds of average meat. The pecan contains 4 per cent more fat and 4 per cent less protein. In food value, a pound of pecan meats exceeds the 206 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST hickory nut in food value by 200 calories, and it is the most highly nutritious of all the na- tural products of the vegetable kingdom. In fact, with the exception of pure fat or oil, there is no food substance which offers nutri- tive material in so concentrated a form. The Walnut The native black walnut and its cousin, the butternut, are among the finest food produc- ing trees indigenous to this country. The fat of walnut meats is nearly three-fifths, and the protein content is nearly 28 per cent, giv- ing a nutritive value three times that of fat meat. A pound of walnuts, in fact, contains nearly 50 per cent more protein than the same quantity of beef, and two-thirds as much fat as a pound of butter. The butternut contains a little more fat than the walnut, with the same amount of protein, but barely 3 per cent of carbohydrate, less than that of any other nut, a fact which renders the butternut es- pecially valuable for persons suffering with diabetes. The English walnut differs from the black walnut in containing a little more fat and less than two-thirds the amount of protein. It is NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 207 also slightly richer in carbohydrates. The culture of the English walnut is rapidly ex- tending in California and recently some vari- eties have been produced which have prove? hardy in our northern and western States, so there appears to be no reason why the English or Persian walnut may not be made to grow almost anywhere its black cousin flourishes. The black walnut is certainly worthy of much more attention than it has received. The difficulty of removing the meat from the thick shell may be overcome by grafting ordinary stock with the newly produced thin-shelled varieties. It is claimed that a walnut tree 10 years old will produce annually 100 pounds of nuts from which 40 pounds of meats may be obtained. Pine Nuts. — The pine nut is a seed pro- duced in the cones of certain species of pine. More than thirty different varieties are known, varying in size from that of a lentil to a horse chestnut. The Pifion,, which grows in the western Rockies and the foothills of California, is a most delicious nut. In composition it is more than three-fifths fat and contains about two- thirds as much protein as the almond. As 208 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST found in the market, shelled pifions are dirty and quite unattractive in appearance, but the nut meats may be easily cleansed by washing first with ordinary water then with water con- taining half of one per cent of peroxide of hy- drogen. This will not only cleanse but disin- fect the nuts, destroying germs of any sort with which the kernels may have become in- fected in their peregrinations from the distant forest to the dinner table. The nut meats may be quickly dried by exposure to the heat of an oven. The flavor of the nuts is improved by very slight roasting. The Peanut, when well dried, contains 50% more protein than the best beefsteak be- sides half its weight of an excellent oil. Slightly roasted in the shell, the nut is very wholesome. The salted, roasted peanuts, how- ever, found in the market, are often over- roasted, and on this account rather indigestible. In the form of peanut butter, first prepared by the writer nearly thirty years ago, the peanut has come to be used more extensively, per- haps, than any other nut. When properly prepared, peanut butter is easily digestible and highly nutritious. Unfortunately, many manufacturers increase their profits by using NUTS MAY SAVE THE RACE 209 inferior and imperfect nuts. Through lack of care in roasting a certain proportion of the nuts are burned. The high temperature to which the fat is exposed produces irritating decomposition products which disturb diges- tion. Instead of roasting the nuts in ordinary coffee roasters, the usual method, they should be treated by steam heat only, thus avoiding a temperature high enough to decompose the fats. Prepared in this way, nut butter is wholesome as well as palatable and a valuable addition to the diet. The protein of the peanut has been shown by chemical research to belong to the class of complete proteins, which renders it equal to the protein of eggs and milk as a tissue-build- ing element. Peanuts are now largely used in the pro- duction of Malted Nuts, a substitute for milk, and Protose, a vegetable meat. The Litchi Nut. — This nut, a native of China, which has recently been introduced in- to this country, is a most valuable product. It is grown in China and Honolulu, and attempts have been made through the efforts of Mr. David Fairchild, of the Agricultural Depart- 210 THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST ment, to introduce the cultivation of the nut in California. The nuts obtainable in our market come from China. The characteristic feature of the nut is the fact that it contains practically no fat, only a trace of protein, and nearly four-fifths its weight of carbohydrate in the form of fruit sugar, similar to the sugar of honey. It is most delicious in flavor and supplies the elements generally present only in very small proportion in other nuts. The Cocoanut is so well known and so widely used in confections and otherwise, that scarcely anything need be said in its behalf. It should be mentioned, however, that a most excellent substitute for butter may be pre- pared from fresh cocoanuts by cutting the meat of the nut into strips and crushing in a meat grinder, then soaking the mass for two or three hours in several times its bulk of warm water. A rich cream will rise to the top. This is skimmed off and worked into a butter-like mass with an ordinary butter ladle. Butter prepared in this way is much used by Euro- peans in tropical countries.