Sunlight, moreover, has not only this action upon
the animal kingdom, but also upon the vegetable
world as well. Plants, like celery, which are subjected
to blanching, become whitened under the process of
etiolation. This is due to the absence of chlorophyll,
XVI PREFACE.
the green colouring matter of plants, which can
only be developed by the presence of light. The tops
of celery, being unearthed, retain their green colour,
while the stem embedded in the soil acquires its
familiar whiteness.
Many philosophical writers, notably David Hume
and Charles Comte, C. Montesquieu in his L'Esprit
des Lois, and Henry Thomas Buckle in his History
of Civilization in England, have dilated upon the
influence which climate exerts over race, and all
their forceful opinions are to the effect that the
character of a people is moulded by climatic con-
ditions. More than this, the same view was enter-
tained by the classic writers ; for we find the philo-
sopher and orator Cicero recording his belief that.
" Athens has a light atmosphere, whence the Athenians
" are thought to be more keenly intelligent ; Thebes
" a dense one, and the Thebans fat-witted accord-
" ingly." Again, Horace, the poet and satirist, has
given us the famous passage : — " You would swear he
" (Alexander the Great) was born in the dense atmo-
" sphere of the Boeotians."
But the influence of climate is not confined to
ordinary conditions alone, because without the shadow
of a doubt it controls disease as well. As it is well
known, certain diseases are peculiar to, and confined
to, certain regions. And, moreover, a malady will vary
in its type in different zones. Thus the disease
PREFACE. xvii
known as rickets is in the old country marked in
many cases by bending of the bones, giving rise to
deformities of the limbs, &c. The Australian type of
the disorder, however, is milder altogether, and is of
a different character. The Australian child is straight-
limbed almost without exception, yet the Australian
type of rickety disease, as I pointed out in 1891, is
quite a definite affection.
At the Congress of Naturalists and Physicians at
Strasburg in 1885 the great German pathologist.
Professor Virchow, called attention to a sphere of
research in which, he alleged, neither the French
nor the English had hitherto accomplished any-
thing of importance, namely, the modifications of
the organism, and particularly of the special altera-
tions of each organ, connected with the phenomena
of acclimatization. This reproach cannot be denied.
We have not yet reached the stage in Australia of
noting the effect which climate has upon the system
in general, much less of inquiring into the changes
which occur in such organs as the liver, spleen, &c.
But apart from investigating the phenomena of ac-
climatization, it is very plain that the people of
Australia have never given any heed to their semi-
tropical climate, or else the food-faults now universally
practised would have been rectified long before this.
It has always been a matter of interesting specu-
lation as to what the characteristic type of the future
xviii PREFACE.
Page 9
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
Sunlight, moreover, has not only this action upon the animal kingdom, but also upon the vegetable world as well. Plants, like celery, which are subjected to blanching, become whitened under the process of etiolation. This is due to the absence of chlorophyll,
XVI PREFACE.
the green colouring matter of plants, which can only be developed by the presence of light. The tops of celery, being unearthed, retain their green colour, while the stem embedded in the soil acquires its familiar whiteness.
Many philosophical writers, notably David Hume and Charles Comte, C. Montesquieu in his L'Esprit des Lois, and Henry Thomas Buckle in his History of Civilization in England, have dilated upon the influence which climate exerts over race, and all their forceful opinions are to the effect that the character of a people is moulded by climatic conditions. More than this, the same view was entertained by the classic writers ; for we find the philosopher and orator Cicero recording his belief that. " Athens has a light atmosphere, whence the Athenians " are thought to be more keenly intelligent ; Thebes " a dense one, and the Thebans fat-witted accord- " ingly." Again, Horace, the poet and satirist, has given us the famous passage : — " You would swear he " (Alexander the Great) was born in the dense atmo- " sphere of the Boeotians."
But the influence of climate is not confined to ordinary conditions alone, because without the shadow of a doubt it controls disease as well. As it is well known, certain diseases are peculiar to, and confined to, certain regions. And, moreover, a malady will vary in its type in different zones. Thus the disease
PREFACE. xvii
known as rickets is in the old country marked in many cases by bending of the bones, giving rise to deformities of the limbs, &c. The Australian type of the disorder, however, is milder altogether, and is of a different character. The Australian child is straightlimbed almost without exception, yet the Australian type of rickety disease, as I pointed out in 1891, is quite a definite affection.
At the Congress of Naturalists and Physicians at Strasburg in 1885 the great German pathologist. Professor Virchow, called attention to a sphere of research in which, he alleged, neither the French nor the English had hitherto accomplished anything of importance, namely, the modifications of the organism, and particularly of the special alterations of each organ, connected with the phenomena of acclimatization. This reproach cannot be denied. We have not yet reached the stage in Australia of noting the effect which climate has upon the system in general, much less of inquiring into the changes which occur in such organs as the liver, spleen, &c. But apart from investigating the phenomena of acclimatization, it is very plain that the people of Australia have never given any heed to their semitropical climate, or else the food-faults now universally practised would have been rectified long before this.
It has always been a matter of interesting speculation as to what the characteristic type of the future
xviii PREFACE.