The new health guide / edited by Sir William Arbuthnot Lane.

  • Lane, William Arbuthnot, 1856-1943.
Date:
[1935]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The new health guide / edited by Sir William Arbuthnot Lane. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    be that some few people cannot tolerate this combination of foodstuffs, but to make it an irre- vocable dietetic principle is quite unjustifiable. The digestive apparatus is not a test tube, plus some chemical reagents. At the same time it would be bad physiology to start a complete meal with fatty or oily foods, for these would definitely restrict gastric secretion and retard the digestion of the meal. The common practice of commencing a meal with a little clear soup, on the other hand, is quite sound, as this will gently stimulate the secretory activity of the stomach. Exclusion of common salt from food is another taboo which has had some popular favour. No doubt there is a grain of truth in this idea, as excessive salting of food can be harmful through irritating the delicate membranes of the mouth, throat, and stomach. Certainly, most natural foods contain salts, but cooking processes tend to cause their diminution, so that the addition of a little salt at table cannot do harm to a healthy person. Limitation of the amount of water intake is yet another recent veto which has claimed some support from those who are given to fads. It is difficult to imagine any reason, scientific or otherwise, for this and the idea appears merely to be foolish and perverse. No doubt there are numerous other strange dietetic fancies, but it is sufficient to indicate that the intelligent person should always be sceptical