Cancer, especially cancer of the stomach, is a disease that baffles the skill of the medical profession. The most frequent cause of cancer of the stomach is believed to be an irritated mucous membrane, or ulcer. It is an undisputable fact, though one not generally recognized, that ulcer of the stomach is rife among all classes of people who partake largely of flesh food. Upon good authority, it is said that ulcer of the stomach is not frequently met among peoples who subsist upon rice and vegetables, — for in- stance, the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Indians, — or among Asiatics generally ; but as has been well expressed, "The zone of the ulcer is the meat eater's zone!' President William J. Mayo, in his address before the American Surgical Association, April 9, 1914* on the subject of "The Pro- phylaxis of Cancer," said that cancer of the stomach formed nearly one third of cancer cases *of the human body, and that the ex- traordinary frequency of cancer of the stomach was confined to civilized man. He stated further, that within the last one hundred years, four times as much meat had been consumed as before that time, and inferred that the increase in consunTption of meat undoubtedly had something to do with the prevalence of cancer. Julius Rosenberg, M. D., writing for the Medical Record of November 27, 1915, said concerning the increase of tuberculosis among cattle, and its menace to health: "Cattle tuberculosis is rapidly increasing. There is scarcely a dairy herd without a number of infected animals. It is an ever 2 Annals of Surgery, volume 59, No. 6. 49 SCIENCE of FOOD ancf COOKERY growing menace. A conservative estimate places the number of cows dying yearly from tuberculosis at one million, were they permitted to die a natural death ; but they are killed before draw- ing the last gasp, and served as prime beef." ETHICS OF FLESH EATING The use of flesh as food cannot fail to have its effect upon the work of evangelizing and uplifting mankind. The success of re- ligious work depends largely upon the spiritual tone of the people. While all that is carnal in human beings is fostered and fed by the consumption of the flesh and blood of animals, the work of the gospel will be hindered to that extent. Those who are laboring to lead men to a higher state of spiritual experience should be doubly careful in regard to their own habits in the matter of flesh eating; and professed Christians generally should consider its effect upon their lives and influence. Spiritual weakness and depression often have a purely physical cause. It is of little use to tell a man about salvation from bad temper unless you tell him some method of deliverance from the clogged and sluggish liver that is the cause of the bad temper. There is little hope of reforming a drunkard by spiritual means only, while he is feeding his craving for liquor by eating flesh and other stimulants; but if he abandons this custom, and adopts a diet of natural and wholesome foods, there is abundance of hope that his deliverance will eventually be accomplished.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Cancer, especially cancer of the stomach, is a disease that baffles the skill of the medical profession. The most frequent cause of cancer of the stomach is believed to be an irritated mucous membrane, or ulcer. It is an undisputable fact, though one not generally recognized, that ulcer of the stomach is rife among all classes of people who partake largely of flesh food. Upon good authority, it is said that ulcer of the stomach is not frequently met among peoples who subsist upon rice and vegetables, — for instance, the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Indians, — or among Asiatics generally ; but as has been well expressed, "The zone of the ulcer is the meat eater's zone!' President William J. Mayo, in his address before the American Surgical Association, April 9, 1914* on the subject of "The Prophylaxis of Cancer," said that cancer of the stomach formed nearly one third of cancer cases *of the human body, and that the extraordinary frequency of cancer of the stomach was confined to civilized man. He stated further, that within the last one hundred years, four times as much meat had been consumed as before that time, and inferred that the increase in consumption of meat undoubtedly had something to do with the prevalence of cancer. Julius Rosenberg, M. D., writing for the Medical Record of November 27, 1915, said concerning the increase of tuberculosis among cattle, and its menace to health: "Cattle tuberculosis is rapidly increasing. There is scarcely a dairy herd without a number of infected animals. It is an ever 2 Annals of Surgery, volume 59, No. 6. growing menace. A conservative estimate places the number of cows dying yearly from tuberculosis at one million, were they permitted to die a natural death ; but they are killed before drawing the last gasp, and served as prime beef." ETHICS OF FLESH EATING The use of flesh as food cannot fail to have its effect upon the work of evangelizing and uplifting mankind. The success of religious work depends largely upon the spiritual tone of the people. While all that is carnal in human beings is fostered and fed by the consumption of the flesh and blood of animals, the work of the gospel will be hindered to that extent. Those who are laboring to lead men to a higher state of spiritual experience should be doubly careful in regard to their own habits in the matter of flesh eating; and professed Christians generally should consider its effect upon their lives and influence. Spiritual weakness and depression often have a purely physical cause. It is of little use to tell a man about salvation from bad temper unless you tell him some method of deliverance from the clogged and sluggish liver that is the cause of the bad temper. There is little hope of reforming a drunkard by spiritual means only, while he is feeding his craving for liquor by eating flesh and other stimulants; but if he abandons this custom, and adopts a diet of natural and wholesome foods, there is abundance of hope that his deliverance will eventually be accomplished.

Science of food & cookery