The young woman's book of health / by Dr. Wm. A. Alcott.

  • Alcott, William A. (William Andrus), 1798-1859.
Date:
1855
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The young woman's book of health / by Dr. Wm. A. Alcott. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    And, in the second place, the food in common use among us is too stimulating to permit of a good appetite in those who use it. Nobody is willing to use plain food. Who does not admit, for example, that good bread is good food, — the very staff of life ? And yet who could relish an entire meal of bread, however excellent in its quality? Some few, indeed, there might be found, who could relish, for once, a full meal of hot bread, es- pecially if it were new. But here they have the stimulus of the extra heat. Let the same bread be a day or two old, and it will no • longer be relished. No ; bread, in order to be relished and enjoyed as a full meal, by most, must be heated, or buttered, or soaked, in one way or another ; or it must be ac- companied with certain other things of a highly stimulating character, so that the morsel of plain bread may be seasoned, or at least atoned for, by the morsel of something which is more savory. It is so with many other things. Place before people plain rice, or pudding, or steak. Be it so, if you please, that plain salt has been added. One individual in six might relish a few mouthfuls of either of them ; but not half enough for an ordinary meal. She would require a condiment with it, liquid or solid, sweet, sour,' or aromatic. Or, if nothing more, she would desire to wash it down with a stimulating mixture of some sort, as tea or coffee.