" alimentary canal. This is particularly likely to occur if
" eaten either in the unripe or over-ripe state ; in the
" former case, from the quantity of acid present ; in the
" latter, from its strong tendency to ferment and decompose
" within the digestive tract. The prevalence of stomach and
*' bowel disorders, noticeable during the height of the fruit
" season, affords proof of the inconveniences that the too
" free use of fruit may give rise to,"
The different forms of fruit, and also of vegetables, owe
their great value to the fact that they possess powerful
anti-scorbutic properties. It will be best and simplest to
define the word " anti-scorbutic " as " good against the
scurvy." This latter disease is notably dependent on a
want of fresh fruit and vegetables in the dietary, and
consequently is more often observed amongst sailors ; and
though accessory conditions, such as great privations, bad
provisions, or unhealthy surroundings, may predispose to
it, yet that which essentially produces it is the deficiency
of the former articles from the food. At the present time
it is not nearly so frequently seen, since, according to the
mercantile marine regulations, subject to legislative enact-
ments passed in 1867, in lieu of vegetables, one ounce of
lime juice, sweetened with the same quantity of sugar,
must be served out to each man daily.
In scurvy there is some great change effected in the
blood, and it is as well to refer briefly to the characters
possessed by the latter. The blood as it exists in the
body is a red alkaline fluid, having a saltish taste and
possessing quite a noticeable odour. It consists of minute
bodies, the coipuscles, immersed in a liquid, the liquor
sanguinis. Salts also enter into its composition, and in-
clude the chlorides of potash and soda ; the phosphates
of lime, magnesia, and soda ; the sulphate of potash, and
free soda Of these the salts of soda predominate, and the
64 THE ART OF LIVING IN AUSTRALIA.
chloride — that is, common salt — is usually in excess of all
the others. The uses of these salts in the blood are to
supply the different tissues with the salts they respectively
require, to take part in maintaining the proper specific
gravity and alkaline character of the blood, and to prevent
any changes going on within it.
In scurvy, as mentioned before, the blood seems to
undergo some great change, and there are accumulations
of it beneath the skin. The gums become spongy, bleeding
on the slightest touch, and the teeth frequently loosen.
Blood often flows from the mouth and nose, or is
vomited from the stomach, or is passed through the
bowels. Dr. Garrod advanced the view that scurvy was
dependent on a deficiency of potash in the system, and
that vegetables which contained potash supplied the want.
It is questionable, however, whether the disease is due to
this fact alone, since beef tea, which contains a good
deal of potash, may be given freely to a scorbutic patient,
yet he fails to recover till proper anti-scorbutic diet is
supplied. Dr. Ralfe found by experiments that when
acids are injected into the blood, or an excess of acid
salts administered, the same changes occur in the blood as
in scurvy. Hence he supposes that the latter disease is
caused by a decrease in the alkalinity of the blood, which
results from the absence of fruit and vegetables from the
food.
Page 51
Presented as published in 1893. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
" alimentary canal. This is particularly likely to occur if " eaten either in the unripe or over-ripe state ; in the " former case, from the quantity of acid present ; in the " latter, from its strong tendency to ferment and decompose " within the digestive tract. The prevalence of stomach and *' bowel disorders, noticeable during the height of the fruit " season, affords proof of the inconveniences that the too " free use of fruit may give rise to,"
The different forms of fruit, and also of vegetables, owe their great value to the fact that they possess powerful anti-scorbutic properties. It will be best and simplest to define the word " anti-scorbutic " as " good against the scurvy." This latter disease is notably dependent on a want of fresh fruit and vegetables in the dietary, and consequently is more often observed amongst sailors ; and though accessory conditions, such as great privations, bad provisions, or unhealthy surroundings, may predispose to it, yet that which essentially produces it is the deficiency of the former articles from the food. At the present time it is not nearly so frequently seen, since, according to the mercantile marine regulations, subject to legislative enactments passed in 1867, in lieu of vegetables, one ounce of lime juice, sweetened with the same quantity of sugar, must be served out to each man daily.
In scurvy there is some great change effected in the blood, and it is as well to refer briefly to the characters possessed by the latter. The blood as it exists in the body is a red alkaline fluid, having a saltish taste and possessing quite a noticeable odour. It consists of minute bodies, the corpuscles, immersed in a liquid, the liquor sanguinis. Salts also enter into its composition, and include the chlorides of potash and soda ; the phosphates of lime, magnesia, and soda ; the sulphate of potash, and free soda Of these the salts of soda predominate, and the
chloride — that is, common salt — is usually in excess of all the others. The uses of these salts in the blood are to supply the different tissues with the salts they respectively require, to take part in maintaining the proper specific gravity and alkaline character of the blood, and to prevent any changes going on within it.
In scurvy, as mentioned before, the blood seems to undergo some great change, and there are accumulations of it beneath the skin. The gums become spongy, bleeding on the slightest touch, and the teeth frequently loosen. Blood often flows from the mouth and nose, or is vomited from the stomach, or is passed through the bowels. Dr. Garrod advanced the view that scurvy was dependent on a deficiency of potash in the system, and that vegetables which contained potash supplied the want. It is questionable, however, whether the disease is due to this fact alone, since beef tea, which contains a good deal of potash, may be given freely to a scorbutic patient, yet he fails to recover till proper anti-scorbutic diet is supplied. Dr. Ralfe found by experiments that when acids are injected into the blood, or an excess of acid salts administered, the same changes occur in the blood as in scurvy. Hence he supposes that the latter disease is caused by a decrease in the alkalinity of the blood, which results from the absence of fruit and vegetables from the food.