Class &£lfcj Book EK3. Copyright >1° COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT, THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS GEORGE AND ALICE HAYDEN THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS BY GEORGE AND ALICE HAYDEN "There is wisdom in this beyond the rules of physic. A man's own observation, what he finds good of and what he finds hurt of, is the best physic to preserve health/ ' Of Regimen of Health, Francis Bacon NEW XBJr YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY \A 6 Copyright, 1918, By George H. Doran Company #/< v r* Printed in the United States of America SEP 16 1818 CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTORY 13 CHAPTER I THE GREAT MODERN PLAGUE .... 15 II ILL HEALTH AND THE COLON .... 19 III SYMPTOMS AND CONSEQUENCES ... 25 IV WHAT CAN BE DONE? 29 V THE NATURAL LAXATIVE ..... 30 VI THE METHOD ........ 38 VII FIVE RULES AND GOOD HEALTH ... 39 VIII POSITION, PATIENCE, AND THE MENTAL ATTITUDE 48 IX FOOD AND NUTRITION 54 THE LAST WORD 57 BREAKFAST MENUS 59 DINNER MENUS 65 A WORD ABOUT LUNCHEONS 74 LIST OF CELLULOSE VALUES 77 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS \ THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Do You Know — — That only one movement a day means constipation? — That poisons are absorbed into the blood when fecal matter is allowed to remain in the lower bowel any length of time? — That you must have an evacuation three times a day to be healthy? — That we have eliminated from our diet almost all the laxative and bowel-stimulat- ing properties of food? — That we can have normal, natural movements by an intelligent selection of food? 9 10 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS — That physic is an irritant and causes disease? — That the colon, or lower bowel, is a breeding place for disease? — That most of the ills of mankind come from it? — That it is, in practically all people, a repulsive, unclean thing? — That it was meant to be as clean and fresh as any other part of the body? — That it poisons the whole being, body and mind, when neglected? — That it can be cleaned and kept clean? — That with as much care as you give to cleanliness of your skin you can keep all your internal organs clean? — That food is the natural laxative? — That cellulose is in all fruits, grains and vegetables in different proportions? — That the diet of almost every person THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 11 in civilised communities is deficient in this important and necessary element? — That the lack of it causes the most prevalent of all diseases — constipation? — That you can cure yourself of this if you select, by preference, food that contains a high percentage of cellulose? — That constipation in almost all cases may be considered less a disease than a per- nicious habit and that with a little care and patience any one can be cured? INTRODUCTORY In one of his plays Shakespere gave us this gem of wisdom: "Throw physic to the dogs," but for three hundred years this ex- cellent advice has been ignored. Mankind is as devoted to physic as ever; most of us depending on pills, purges and enemas to get through the day. Shakespere's words fell on deaf ears because he did not tell us what to do after the physic was thrown to the dogs. The purpose of this little book is to show how, by an easy and natural method of eat- ing* by an intelligent selection of food, the worst cases of constipation can be cured and physic, if not literally thrown to the dogs, may at least be eliminated from the family medicine chest. 13 CHAPTER I The Great Modern Plague IN the course of a few years the use of physic has grown to such large propor- tions that the average housewife considers cathartics as important an item among her stores as groceries. The widespread increase of constipation due to the modern sedentary mode of living coupled with the limited diet of to-day is the cause of the almost universal abuse of medical or mechanical purges. Con- stipation, which is responsible for 75 per cent, or more of all the ills of man, is the modern plague, not less terrible in its effect upon the general health of a community than the epidemics that swept the cities of the Middle Ages in the days before sanita- 15 16 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS tion. It is impossible to ignore the serious- ness of this prevalent malady. Without any desire to emulate the grim terrorists who write the advertisements for patent medicines and enema bags, it would be quite possible to enumerate as derived from constipation almost all known diseases from appendicitis to zymosis. It is gen- erally understood that sick-headache, bil- iousness, "bad stomach/' indigestion, skin diseases, colds and catarrh are caused by improper elimination: but it is not suffi- ciently well known that many of the most dreaded ills of mankind originate in the low- er bowel. In fact the almost complete ig- norance of the functions of the bowels and their potency for evil is the cause of their neglect and their prevalent morbid condi- tion. Most people do not know what consti- pation is: they consider it to be merely the inability to have a movement of the bowels THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 17 without artificial assistance. The truth is that many, without suspecting it, are vic- tims of unconscious constipation. People who have one complete bowel movement a day are very rare; the daily stool of the average person who is so fortu- nate as to have one daily is inadequate; some of the excrement is not discharged and this amount, small or large, as it may be, being retained each day soon accumu- lates and forms an impact mass in the bow- els until a "sick headache" or "bilious at- tack" gives warning and by the aid of a violent purge the bowels are forcibly emp- tied. This gives a short period of relief, but the accumulation beginning at once, the same condition returns almost before the sufferer has recovered from the weakening effects of the purge. Thus continues the round of alternating self-poisoning and purge exhaustion — until one of the many 18 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS serious chronic diseases caused by constipa- tion begins to develop. While the few persons who have a com- plete movement each day may consider themselves very fortunate, it is more than likely that they are also victims of con- stipation insomuch as the action of the bow- els of almost every human being in civil- ised communities is far too slow. It is cer- tain that in this case the excrement is re- tained much too long for the welfare of the body; the amount that is evacuated each day is sure to be the amount that should have been passed at least 24 hours before. This condition, while the least dangerous of all forms of constipation, yet allows accumula- tions in the "pockets" or sagging parts of the colon which will produce, among almost any of the ills derived from the retention of fecal matter, one most dreaded disease, appendicitis.. CHAPTER II III Health and the Colon THE Colon is the seat of the disorder. This large intestine, shaped like an inverted U, is the great sewer of the human body. Here all the refuse of the body col- lects for the final evacuation. This refuse is commonly and erroneous- ly supposed to consist of the remains of food eaten, but there is actually very little remains of food in human excrement; it consists rather of bile, bacteria, mucus, waste products, poisons from protein and bacterial putrefaction, together with rough indigestible particles of food, and a very lit- tle undigested food. Whatever residue of undigested animal matter reaches the colon, 19 20 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS and there is always certain to be an appreci- able amount, putrefies quickly and becomes just so much deadly poison. This putre- faction also forms alkaline substances which paralyse the bowels to a very marked extent. The absolute necessity of getting rid of this offensive waste matter at once is ap- parent. The longer the excrement is re- tained in the intestine the more dangerous it becomes; the mucous lining of the colon gradually absorbs the moisture, impreg- nated with poison and filth of the most nox- ious kind, and this enters the system, caus- ing havoc throughout the body, in the blood, and in every delicate nerve and tissue, do- ing untold damage. All the evil effects of constipation are caused by the inadequate elimination of this fecal matter. The amount retained accu- mulates until the bowels are clogged and a chronic state of biliousness, auto-intoxica- THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 21 tion or anemia results; the lower pouch of the colon becomes filled with hardened fecal matter and appendicitis ensues; the mois- ture absorbed carries with it countless germs as the colon is a fertile breeding place for bacteria and the seed of many of the most dreaded diseases are sown in the blood, ty- phoid and malaria, for example; even con- sumption may have its origin in the colon. Even when daily evacuation takes place it is most likely that it consists of matter that should have been voided twenty-four or more hours before. All dark, evil-smelling stools are delayed stools; the normal, healthy excrement is pale yellow and prac- tically odourless. Practically all people who live in a more primitive condition than we do, the peasants of Europe and most of the Oriental nations, consider it essential to per- fect health that the colon should be com- pletely emptied of its contents not only 22 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS every day but three times a day, after each meal. They consider one movement a day to mean constipation and feel the loss of energy and clearness of mind when three movements a day do not take place. This may seem extreme but it has been shown how imperative it is that the colon should be emptied as soon as the fecal mat- ter descends into it, and this takes place after each meal, at which time the bowels are the most active. Man is the only animal that abuses its body by using the colon as a repository of excrement when Nature has designed it merely as a passage to the point of evacuation. Among all animals and among men that live in a natural state the colon is emptied immediately the fecal matter passes into it; in our civilised communities where we have had to consider the restrictions of time and place the excrement is retained until some THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 23 convenient time. This has been the cause of constipation. Here is one of the most vital organs of the human body which through misuse has become a repulsive, unclean thing, a menace to the whole being, an organ which was meant to be as fresh and clean as any other part of the body. To have good health, to achieve the great- est efficiency, and to live long it is absolutely necessary that the body should be kept clean within as well as without. This may be ac- complished if as much care is given to the one part of the body as to the other. A word should be added here to point out the disastrous effects of physic and purges. The far-reaching evil that results from all medicinal means of forcing the evacuation of the bowels is recognised by the most ad- 24 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS vanced physicians and as a result less and less physic is given year by year. The pop- ular belief that physic acts upon the bowels is quite wrong. The truth is that the organs themselves act upon the physic, all the or- gans from the stomach to the colon, and this means an added and exhausting strain upon them. A violent irritation is caused, a mor- bid flow of watery secretions excited. The weakening effect upon the system is well known to all users of cathartics but its ex- tent is not realised ; the irritation causes dis- ease, the strain on the kidneys and the other organs is very grave, and the whole consti- tution is undermined. Above all, there are no pills, purges or powders that cure; they only aggravate. Saline purges are maybe the worst. CHAPTER III Symptoms and Consequences PHYSICIANS, like Metchnikoff and Sir Arbuthnot Lane, who have made extensive study of the relation between the colon and health, have all agreed that auto- intoxication is not sufficiently recognised by the general practitioner as the basis of most of the illness of mankind. Whereas the usual treatment given by the average doctor is purely symptomatic; that is, the relief of the patient is sought through the treatment of whatever symptoms that appear, as ton- ics for debility, bromides for nervousness, calomel for headaches and biliousness and so on down the list; in almost every case the cause of all the symptoms, the root of all 25 26 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS the evil, is totally ignored and if any cure is effected it is because nature will heal if given half a chance in spite of all the drugs and medicaments. Many of the most alarming symptoms that cause apprehension to every man and woman at some time or other are almost sure to be derived from constipation, con- scious or unconscious, or from auto-intoxi- cation: Vertigo, flashes before the eyes, headache, neuralgia, neuritis, insomnia, bad dreams, loss of memory, inability to con- centrate the mind, disinclination for busi- ness or social enjoyments, petulant dispo- sition, anxiety, hysteria, hypochondria, de- spondency and melancholia, temporary mania, infantile convulsions and other nerv- ous phenomena. The uncomfortable and annoying afflic- tions of so many people who are otherwise in good health are certain to arise from this THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 27 same cause : Furred tongue, bad taste in the mouth, foul breath, nausea, thirst, indiffer- ent appetite, gaseous eructations, flatulence, abdominal tenderness, colicky pains, cold extremities, sallow complexion, fecal fever, small, weak pulse, anemia, palpitation, al- buminuria, lithemia, dark-coloured urine, skin affections, fetid perspiration. The lack of care of the colon will inevit- ably result in: Diarrhea, hemorrhoids, in- testinal catarrh, discharges of mucus, alone or admixed with pus or blood, ulceration, interoptosis, dilation of the bowel, localised peritonitis, adhesions, tumefactions, or lo- calised pain and disturbances and diseases of the bladder, urethra, prostate, seminal vesicles, uterus, tubes or ovaries. Diseases that at first glance seem to have no relation to the colon are almost sure to be the outcome of constipation: Febrile at- tacks resembling malaria, gall stones, 28 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Bright's disease, sclerosis or hardening of the liver, chronic rheumatism, and rheu- matic gout and dropsy. Many women sup- posed to be suffering from disorders pecu- liar to their sex are really suffering only from auto-intoxication. Constipation also lays the foundation for tuberculosis, cancer of the stomach, ulcer of the stomach and other gastric disorders, hardening of the arteries, irritation of the brain and nerve centres, paralysis, diabetes, diseases of the spleen, liver and thyroid gland, and even insanity. / CHAPTER IV What Can Be Done? 13EF0RE the far-reaching consequences -*-* of this malady the mind may stand dis- mayed. The relief of the commonest and one of the most dangerous of ills seems to remain undiscovered. While the subject has been repeatedly treated exhaustively from a medical point, a positive method for its cure has never been published. The pres- ent method contains all the natural means of producing bowel action known to prob- ably all dietitians who nevertheless seldom if ever prescribe them. The harmless, healthful, and economical method described here will recommend it- self. 29 CHAPTER V The Natural Laxative [" T is a fact not generally known that Na- -* ture has provided us with a harmless, powerful laxative that, when used properly, will do all that medicine can do. This Nat- ural Laxative is plain, every-day food. The moment one begins a meal and the first morsel of food reaches the stomach a rhythmic contraction commences along the whole alimentary tract beginning at the stomach and finally reaching the anus; a series of undulations known as peristaltic waves; this is the first stage in the move- ment of the bowels. It is an easily demon- strable fact that after meals the bowels are most active. The stomach begins the 30 The Position of the Colon: Arrows Indicating the Direction of the Movement of the Feces. 31 / THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 33 process of digestion, the contents of the small intestine move more quickly toward the colon and there the accumulated refuse is carried along toward the anus for its final evacuation. Besides this mechanical propulsion caused by food there are other active properties in the elements of the food itself which soften the fecal matter, lubricate the bowels and stimulate peristalsis. There are the chem- ical properties of food, the organic acids, the sugars, the fats, and the mineral salts; also there is the bulk forming element, the rough indigestible particles of vegetable matter that absorb moisture, increase the volume of the stool and thereby excite the bowels into more thorough action. With the knowledge of these facts and their importance to the movement of the bowels in their elimination of refuse from 34 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS the body, it is a simple task to cause a more thorough and easier evacuation than is possible otherwise. By an intelligent selec- tion of the articles of food that are most active in their stimulation of the intestines and a reasonable avoidance of the less active or negative foods, this vital function of the body, of the utmost importance to health and well-being, will cease to depend on the blind chance of indiscriminate diet, certain of failure, and will become sure and posi- tive. The laxative value of fruits is well known. The acids and sugars they contain are among the most powerful stimulants of the bowels. The use of olive and other vege- table oils, butter, and cream is general in the treatment of constipation as the fats they contain are valuable in the lubrication of the intestines. All sugars, except cane sugar, which is too irritating, are stimulat- THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 35 ing, as are the mineral salts in water and in vegetables. Water, plain, distilled or in fruit juices and other beverages, is necessary in the softening of the excrement. The oils in nuts, the acids in vegetables and the starch in cereals that is turned to sugar by the action of the saliva are invaluable. While the merits of these chemical prop- erties of food are generally recognised, one of the most important factors in the evacu- ation of the intestines is almost unknown, an element contained in almost all food- stuffs whose sole purpose is to stimulate and move the bowels. It is the natural aid to defecation and a sufficiently effective lax- ative to make the artificial assistance of drugs and mechanical devices unnecessary. The valuable properties of this food ele- ment are practically unrecognised. This im- portant and much neglected factor is Cellu- lose. 36 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Cellulose exists in a smaller or greater degree in all fruits, grains and vegetables. It is a fibrous substance and its value as a laxative is due to the fact that the rough undigested particles of fibre, giving bulk to the contents of the intestines, thereby excite the action of the bowels and move the fecal matter downward and outward. It is more potent than physic and, above all, is the nat- ural method of stimulation while every other method in common use is weakening, dan- gerous, disease creating, only temporary, and diminishing in effect. While at first glance it would seem as though Cellulose would be present in the daily diet of every person, in reality the every-day diet is decidedly deficient in this very necessary element. In fact, it is be- cause there is so small an amount of Cellu- lose in the ordinary diet of to-day that we THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 37 have become a race of constipated people; over eighty per cent of the people living in civilised communities having constipation in some form or other. CHAPTER VI The Method f pHE trial of this method should be con- -*■ sidered an adventure, not as an un- pleasant duty nor as dieting; not martyr- dom nor penance; but an experiment that will be an investment repaying cent per cent. We all feel the need of a change at times ; to travel, to leave ourselves behind, we hope. This will be as a voyage, a complete change and we will leave behind much of ourselves that is sick and weary. Some of the articles of food suggested as desirable in the following pages may not agree with a few people, but after the treat- ment has been followed for a short time they will be found quite possible. CHAPTER VII Five Rules and Good Health r I lO have a complete evacuation bulk is -* indispensable; therefore a decided amount of food containing a fair percentage of Cellulose must be eaten daily and all arti- cles of food that do not contain Cellulose must be used sparingly. If you consult the table of the relative amount of Cellulose in different foods you will note that the usual dinner or lunch prac- tically contains no Cellulose. The white bread has lost in the milling all the coarse, very nutritious and stimulating properties of the whole grain, the invaluable bran; that is bulk; our meat diet precludes just so much bulk as practically all the meat is ab- sorbed before it reaches the colon or lower 39 40 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS bowel, therefore contributing negatively to constipation; while the white potato, al- though laxative by reason of its chemical properties, contains almost the smallest amount of Cellulose of any vegetable. Here is the average repast of the person of to- day; almost totally deficient in one of the most vital factors of good health. First: Eat Fruit Between Meals. Fruits not only furnish a large amount of Cellulose but also the very laxative fruit sugars and acids. The high percentage of water (about 75 per cent) which most fruits contain is the purest distilled water that can be found. Often eat a luncheon consisting wholly of fruit. The combination of acid fruit with starchy foods, as bread, cereals, potatoes, etc., is to be avoided: the almost universal THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 41 custom of eating such fruit as oranges or grape fruit with cereals and cream or bread is enough to make the most promising day end badly. Bananas, melons and berries, except uncooked strawberries and huckle- berries, which contain too much acid, are the only fruits that can be safely used in combination with starchy foods and are ex- cellent fruits for breakfast or desserts. Cooked fruit may also be used freely and is nearly always easier to digest and more nutritious, as the baked banana, for in- stance. In the few cases where acid fruits cannot be eaten, mild fruits, as figs, dates, prunes, bananas and pears may be used with safety. Second : Drink Fruit Juices Daily. These extremely nutritious and refresh- ing juices are among the most powerful an- tiseptics for the stomach and intestines; the 42 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS putrefactive germs cannot live in fruit acids. These acids and the sugars in the juice of fruit stimulate the bowels to a marked de- gree. Cider, when fresh, grape juice, pineapple juice and orange juice are especially valu- able and may be partaken of freely between meals as they are all assimilated without taxing the digestive organs in the slightest degree and assist the otherwise difficult di- gestion of fats. A glass of fruit juice half an hour before breakfast is effective. If one is in the habit of waking an hour or so pre- liminary to a "cat-nap" before rising, a glass prepared the night before and placed at the bedside may be taken very conveniently. Also drink plenty of water. Eight glasses of liquid should be taken daily, always be- tween meals, never less than an hour before nor two hours after and should be sipped slowly. THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 43 Third: Eat Plenty of Vegetables, Pre- ferably those Containing the Greatest Amount of Cellulose. Luncheon and dinner should consist of as much vegetable matter as possible. Beans, asparagus, onions, peas, carrots, all assist in a great degree. Green vegetables espe- cially are desirable, lettuce, cucumbers, to- matoes, cold slaw, radishes, onions and cel- ery. The palatable skins of fruits, like the skins of apples, most grapes, peaches, pears, and, also, the skins of potatoes should be masticated thoroughly and eaten. They con- tain a high percentage of cellulose. Fourth : Eat a Cereal Every Morning with Two or Three Tables poonsful of Bran and Cream. Eat as much cereal as possible as the starch in cereals encourages the growth in U THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS the intestines of the acid-forming germs which prevent the development of the poi- son-forming putrefactive germs. Cream furnishes an amount of fat that is valuable as a lubricant of the intestines. A certain amount of bran taken at each meal in the form of bran gems, muffins or biscuits will greatly help in obstinate cases. Substitute rye or whole w r heat bread for the almost worthless white wheat bread. Graham crackers are infinitely better than the white soda cracker. Fifth: Avoid All Indigestible Combi- nations. Avoid all food cooked in or permeated with animal fat as fried foods, buttered toast, pie crust and pastry and griddle cakes. The saliva cannot act upon starch when it is mixed with animal fats. Avoid tea and coffee; all starchy food THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 45 becomes indigestible in combination with tea and coffee. Avoid all meats, above all pork, goose, veal, liver, gravies and salt meats. Chicken is really the only flesh food that should be eaten; fish may be used sparingly with the exception of salt and shell fish. Avoid eating rice, tapioca, white bread, cheese, boiled milk, hard-boiled eggs, candy, soda fountain drinks, alcohol, chocolate, cocoa, pickles, brandied peaches, green olives and all animal fats except butter and cream. In all cases of auto-intoxication or bilious- ness all meat should be rigorously excluded from the daily bill-of-fare, as well as milk and eggs in any form ; milk creating a super- lative breeding medium for germ life and portions of the white of egg invariably reach- ing the colon and putrefying. Chronic, obsti- nate cases, especially in auto-intoxication, 46 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS have found more speedy relief in an all-fruit diet adhered to for two or three days in the beginning. Grapes have been used effec- tively in this way as the success of the fa- mous grape cure of Europe has proved. This does not mean that all the pleasures of the table are to be denied — on the con- trary, the most delicious, delicate and appe- tising dishes are free to be used. Countless new discoveries await the explorer of this new clean land of plenty; fruits and vege- tables which hitherto have meant merely a simple aff air of apples and oranges, pota- toes and peas, will become a matter of in- finite and unimagined variety, a newly awakened relish and savour of food will be the reward. (Note.) When appendicitis has been de- veloped through long neglect of the colon, the inflamed condition of the appendix and adjacent parts of the large intestine render THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 47 the use of all food containing coarse par- ticles such as cellulose too irritating: the only recourse is the services of a competent dietitian. CHAPTER VIII Position, Patience and the Mental Attitude A FTER the consideration of diet the -*** most important thing is the position in which the body is held in the act of defeca- tion. The modern closet is an excellent aid to constipation. The "easy, comfortable seat" can be credited with being the cause of many cases of constipation. The position that the savage takes is the natural one. Squatting down with the knees up and the thighs pressed close to the body places all the organs in the most advantageous posi- tion for voiding the bowels. The ordinary chamber pot is infinitely better than the most "up-to-date" seat. When on occasion it is not possible to use one, the feet should 48 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 49 be placed on the rungs of a chair with the legs close to the body. Often the taking of this posture will assist an obstinate stool that otherwise would not have been evacuated and it will always make the evacuation easier and more complete. Before the muscular effort is made a deep breath should be taken and retained, as this, forcing the diaphragm downward, com- presses the bowels. Massage is of great assistance; if the left side of the abdomen is rubbed downward while in the crouching position in the closet before the effort is made an excellent result will be obtained. When an evacuation seems very slow or unpromising the abdomen should be massaged from the right side un- der the ribs across to the left and downward on the left side. Do not make a violent muscular effort; hemorrhoids will result from straining. 50 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Do not be in a hurry ; remember that this is one of the most important acts of the day and that the hours that are to follow will be affected for good or ill by it. Take time; in the beginning, ten or even twenty minutes could not be better spent than in making an attempt, a small price to pay for the cleanliness that will result and the added health and energy. Later it will be easier; an excellent habit will soon be formed. Be patient; almost every constipated per- son has lost the sense of having a "call" and, whenever it is time to have a movement, make a conscientious effort, no matter how unpromising it may seem. Concentrate your mind on it and persist. Do not stop after the first passage; continue your effort until you feel the lower bowel is entirely emptied. The mental attitude is of very great im- portance. We know how possible it is for THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 51 a person to make up his mind to wake at a certain hour to catch a train and succeed in doing it. This power may be used to good purpose. Many cases of constipation have been effectually helped without other means than regular efforts, determination and con- centration. Fear, anger, grief, worry or haste will retard or entirely check the action of the bowels in the same degree that they interfere with digestion. A calm, poised condition of the mind must be cultivated. A few minutes may be very profitably spent every day on rising and on retiring in some form of abdominal exercise. A very good exercise is to lie on the back with the feet under some heavy object like the foot or side of the bed and then raising the body from the hips to a sitting position, always keeping the spine and legs straight; another good exercise is twisting the body sideways from the hips while standing, or even better 52 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS when lying on the back with the legs kept perfectly immovable; this exercise may be taken in bed before rising, bed-clothes or something heavy being placed over the feet to help keep them in position while the body is twisted from side to side. Walking is al- ways beneficial. The stool will become soft and easy as the feces are composed of about 75 per cent of liquid which, when evacuation takes place at the proper time, is not absorbed back into the system. The excrement will be pale yel- low in color, a sign of healthy bowels; the dark and blackish foul-smelling stool, hard and formed, is an unmistakable evidence of delayed evacuation with its accompanying absorption. (Except when certain foods have colored the fecal matter, as grape juice, for instance, which will color the normal stool dark.) With care that the water closet is com- THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 53 fortable and warm, that after each meal the mind as well as the body should remain calm, undisturbed and quiescent, that proper po- sition be taken and patient effort made, there is no uncertainty about the result: there will be three or four movements a day. A new life will begin for the sufferer, vigor, youth, ambition and happiness will be his. It is remarkable the new endurance and the ease which the body, cleansed and purified, will show. As most people have suffered since childhood it is actually a new life that dawns. CHAPTER DC Food and Nutrition" |/iOOD is composed of four elements: -*■ 1. Proteids. 2. Fats. 3. Starches or Carbohydrates. 4. Mineral salts. Proteid is the muscle and tissue builder. It also serves as a source of nutrition for nerve and brain. Fats are the fuel to main- tain heat and muscular energy. Carbohy- drates serve also as a fuel. Mineral salts furnish lime for bone building, phosphorus for the brain and iron for the blood. At first glance it would seem as though the body would need a high percentage of Pro- tein — but all scientific investigation has 54 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 55 shown that a small amount of protein will go a long ways and that there is too great a percentage of protein in the diet of the average person and as protein produces clogging, toxic products, it is especially harmful when taken in excess of the actual needs of the body. In the selection of food as set forth in this book the necessary proportion of food elements exists in a well-balanced form. Animal food contains a high percentage of Protein and Fat and is completely deficient in Carbohydrates. Whereas in fruit and vegetables the necessary proportions of all three elements are more nicely balanced. A person occupied in arduous physical work can always assure himself of sufficient mus- cle-building material on a non-meat diet by adding a few nuts to each meal as nuts contain a proportion of protein equal to, and in the case of the walnut, almond and 56 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS peanut, exceeding, the proportion in the same amount of meat, with the added merit of containing carbohydrates. The choice of food which will cure con- stipation is a perfect diet, containing all the essentials in a complete balance. The strength and endurance resulting from it will be apparent almost immediately. The Japanese with their great mental intensity and physical vigour are a splendid example of a people who live wholly on fruit, grains and vegetables, as indeed are most Oriental people as well as the peasants of Europe. We are told that the Algerians, a vegetarian people, have furnished the fiercest fighters to-day in France. THE LAST WORD Get Plenty of Bulk. Eat all the vegetables, fruit and cereals that you enjoy and eat a great deal. Eat a cereal every morning with bran and cream. Eat plenty of uncooked green vegetables; salads, tomatoes, cold slaw, celery, etc. Avoid all food made of fine cereals : white bread, macaroni, pearl barley, fine breakfast foods, tapioca, rice, cornstarch, puddings and pastry. Eat Fruit and Drink the Juices of Fruit Between Meals. Avoid all concentrated, constipating foods: meat, milk, chocolate, cocoa, candy, cheese and all indigestible foods and com- binations, like fried dishes, rich gravies, etc. 57 58 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Go to the Closet Regularly After Each Meal and Have a Movement. Try again a little later if you feel the slightest inclination. Keep warm after meals. Sit "on your heels" for a few minutes be- fore going to the closet. Take the natural position at stool. Assist the evacuation by massage down the left side of the abdomen, when neces- sary. Eat Fruit and Drink the Juices of Fruit Between Meals. Get Plenty of Bulk! Some Suggestions for Menues follow. BREAKFAST MENUS Cereal, bran and cream Broiled tomatoes, cream sauce Corn bread and butter A portion of bran consists of about two table- spoonsful. The difference in flavour between the cooked and uncooked brans which are upon the market is perhaps slightly in favour of the cooked variety. Broiled Tomatoes. — Slice good sized toma- toes, dust with flour and salt, saute in butter un- til thoroughly done on both sides. To fat in pan add cream, stir till sauce thickens slightly, then pour over tomatoes and serve. Cereal, bran and cream Poached egg, whole-wheat toast Huckleberry sauce Bananas and cream. Cereal, bran and cream Rye or graham muffins, butter, honey Cereal coffee Cereal, Coffee. — Of the instantly soluble ce- real coffee have ready in a cup one level tea- 59 60 THROW PHYSIC TO THEH)OGS spoonful. Bring to a boil four tablespoonsful of water, add equal quantity or more of milk and heat to boiling 1 point. Pour over "coffee," stir well, add sugar. Do not consider this drink as coffee — think of it as a beverage, healthful and beneficial, with its own distinctive flavour. Berries, melon or cooked fruit Cereal, bran and cream Graham gems, butter and honey Bran, cooked or dry, with cream Baked banana Baked potato, with nuts Raisin bran bread Baked Banana. — Peel and slice fruit in half, lengthwise. Place in shallow buttered baking dish, dot with butter, and pour over about a fourth of a cup of warm water. Bake in moderate oven about ten to fifteen minutes. Do not allow to bake dry; should be jelly-like. No sugar will be required. Baked Potato, with nuts. — Bake potato till done. Remove from oven and gash twice with a knife; squeeze potato slightly and into opening thus made put a lump of butter and half a tea- spoonful of finely chopped nut meats, walnuts or pecans are best. THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 61 Cereal, bran and cream Beaten omelette Bran muffins and butter Beaten Omelette.- — Separate yolks and whites of eggs. Beat whites stiff; whip yolks till well mixed, add salt, dessertspoonful cream and one of hot water. Fold in whites and pour into buttered pan. When puffed fold and dry slightly in oven. Chopped nut meats may be added, or asparagus tips and white sauce. Soaked black figs Cream of wheat, bran and cream Egg chocolate Corn meal muffins Soaked Figs. — Wash the dried figs thoroughly, place in cup or tall glass and cover with lukewarm water. Let stand six hours or longer. These are delicious with cream. No sugar is required. Egg Chocolate. — Beat an egg thoroughly. To about four tablespoonsful cold water add heaping teaspoonful of unsweetened chocolate. When cooked and completely dissolved, add milk, about two-thirds of a cup, some sugar, a tiny pinch of salt, a dash of cream. When thorough- ly heated pour slowly over the beaten egg. Serve in glass. 62 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Baked apple or apple sauce Cereal, bran and cream Brown bread, butter Cereal coffee Corn flakes, bran and cream Baked creamed fish Graham rolls, cooked fruit Cereal coffee Berries, cooked fruit or melon Cereal, bran and cream Spinach and egg Spinach and Egg. — Place a layer of finely- chopped and well seasoned cooked spinach on a buttered, shallow baking dish. With a spoon make as many depressions as needed and into each de- pression gently drop an egg. Place in oven till eggs are set and serve at once. Stewed figs Cereal, bran and cream Baked potato, asparagus tips Oatmeal or graham muffins THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 63 Grapes Eggs with tomatoes Bran gems and butter Melon Egg chocolate Whole-wheat gems Baked banana Very ripe peaches Uncooked cereal, bran, light cream Corn bread, milk Cereal, bran and cream Apple sauce, muffins (whole wheat) Jellied egg Jellied Egg. — Pour boiling water over egg and let stand, covered, four to eight minutes. Soaked prunes Cereal, bran and cream Muffins with honey Cereal coffee Soaked Prunes. — Wash the prunes and soak twenty-four hours in water to cover. 64 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Grapes, melon or peaches Baked sweet potato Cottage cheese with cream, figs Stewed or fresh plums Baked tomato, baked potato with nuts Corn bread Baked Tomatoes. — Cut top from tomatoes and scoop out pulp. Season pulp with salt, su- gar, onion juice and olive oil. Replace into the tomato shells, put back lids and bake, covered, for twenty-five minutes, basting from time to time with oil. Ripe berries and cream Bran muffins Baked potato Baked banana Mashed prunes, whipped cream Cooked barley, sugar and butter Muffins Milk DINNER MENUS Dried lima beans. Spinach Buttered beets Lettuce hearts, French dressing Bread pudding with apples Lima Beans. — Soak the beans, after washing, several hours. Cook until soft in water in which a small onion has been boiled. Before serving add a lump of butter and a tablespoonful of cream. Bread Pudding. — Cover bottom of a shallow baking dish with apple sauce that has been slight- ly flavoured with lemon and cinnamon. Cut stale whole-wheat bread into squares after buttering generously and arrange closely over apple. Sprinkle with sugar; bake in a moderate oven. Serve with hard sauce or prune juice. Melon Mushroom pie Carrots and peas en casserole Stewed tomatoes Celery- Baked banana and cream Mushroom Pie. — Cut fresh mushrooms in small pieces; sprinkle lightly with salt. Cut two thin 65 66 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS slices of bacon into small pieces and put in bot- tom of shallow baking dish; on these put a layer of the mushrooms and over these a layer of finely mashed and seasoned potatoes. Put bits of but- ter over and bake one-half hour in a moderate oven. When nearly done remove cover and brown. Carrots and Peas en Casserole. — Place peas and diced carrots, together with a tablespoonful of butter, a scant teaspoonful of sugar, some salt and a cup of warm water into a casserole dish, cover and bake forty minutes. Add cream or cream sauce before serving. Vegetable soup (I) Parsnips Baked potatoes with nuts Boiled onions Cress and beet salad Pears Imperial Vegetable Soup (I). — Take one onion, a tur- nip, two pared potatoes, a carrot, some celery; chop or cut up fine. Mix vegetables, except pota- toes, and cook ten minutes in three tablespoonfuls butter, stirring constantly. Add potatoes, cover and cook two minutes. Add one quart water. Salt. Washed and soaked barley may be added, or some oatmeal. Toast some rye bread, butter THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 67 each slice, and, if desired, rub the under side of each slice slightly with garlic. Put bread into tureen or soup plates and pour soup over. To- matoes or okra may be added. If this soup is cooked in the fireless cooker slightly less water should be used as there is no evaporation. The fireless cooker and casserole method of cookery is recommended to be used in these reci- pes whenever possible. Pears Imperial. — Bake sunshine cake in muffin tins ; when cool scoop out centres ; simmer Bartlett pears in spiced syrup till tender, fill centres at blossom end with dates, figs and hickory nuts. Set the pears in the cakes. To their syrup add a dash of maraschino and pour over the cakes. Serve very cold. Vegetable soup (II) Beans a la Maitre d'Hotel Sweet potatoes, glazed Tomato salad Cherry pie Vegetable Soup (II). — All water in which po- tatoes, onions, spinach, asparagus, etc., has been cooked should be saved. It should be thickened, butter and cream added and served with croutons of rye bread. 68 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Beans a la Maitre d'Hotel. — Prepare and boil string beans. Drain thoroughly. Keep them hot and when dry put them in a stewpan with two ounces of melted butter or olive oil, half a teaspoonful of scalded and chopped parsley, a little salt and a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Shake over fire, mix well and serve hot. Cream of asparagus soup Cauliflower en casserole Turnips or parsnips Bran bread Celery Mock mince pie Cauliflower en Casserole. — Boil cauliflower till tender, put in casserole, pour over drawn but- ter sauce, and crumbs. Do not cover, brown and serve. Mock Mince Pie. — Four common crackers, rolled; 1% cups sugar; 1 cup molasses; y% cup lemon juice; ^ cup chopped apple, same of rai- sins, chopped and seeded, and same of currants; % cup butter; 2 well beaten eggs; spices. Mix in order given. Bake between crusts made of whole-wheat flour. Above quantity will make two pies. THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 09 Peas, in cream Carrots Potato Salad, Russian dressing, toasted nuts Whole-wheat gems Baked banana, whipped cream Russian Dressing. — To mayonnaise which has been thinned with cream add equal quantity of good chile sauce; add teaspoonful (level) of gran- ulated sugar, stir, chill and serve. Toasted Nuts. — Have English walnuts, pref- erably in halves, place in small shallow pan, dot sparingly with butter, add pinch of salt and place in oven till crisp. Vegetable soup Onions en Casserole Stuffed tomatoes Baked potato Fruit salad, whipped cream mayonnaise Corn on the cob Broiled tomatoes Baked potato on half shell Whole-wheat bread, celery Raisin buffet Raisin Buffet. — Allow one cup seeded raisins to simmer in ^2 CU P water until thoroughly soft. 70 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Add one dozen well broken macaroons, % tea- spoonful vanilla extract, % cup chopped nuts. Stir well and set aside to cool. Serve in small punch glasses with whipped cream on top. Lima beans Potato Carrot Salad, Celery and Apples Prune whip Prune Whip. — Pick over and wash 1/3 of a pound of prunes ; soak several hours in cold water to cover and cook in same water until soft; re- move stones and rub through a strainer. Beat whites of three eggs until stiff, add prune mix- ture gradually when cold, and % tablespoonful lemon juice. Pile lightly on buttered baking dish, bake twenty minutes in slow oven. Serve cold with cream. y 2 cup of sugar should be cooked with the prunes if desired sweet. Potato and onion soup Asparagus Swiss chard Mashed potato Salad, French dressing Figs with walnuts Potato and Onion Soup. — Cook two medium sized potatoes and a medium sized onion till done. Then mash thoroughly with a fork or masher. THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 71 Salt and add cup or more rich milk, lump of but- ter and celery salt. Cream of tomato soup Beet greens with young beets Mashed turnip Baked potato Corn bread Huckleberry pie Beet Greens. — Select young beets when they are not larger than walnuts. Wash thoroughly. Cook till tender in boiling salted water. Plunge beets (not tops) into cold water and rub off skins. Drain greens and chop slightly. Add butter, lemon juice and salt. Arrange on hot platter with the cut beets as border. Mayonnaise may be served with this. Creamed mushrooms Baked cabbage String beans Sweet potato Pear salad Baked Cabbage. — Boil cabbage till tender in salted water containing a pinch of soda. Reheat in a thin cream sauce. Put into a buttered bak- ing dish, cover with crumbs, dot with butter and bake 15 to 20 minutes. 72 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Baked beans Artichokes Onions Brown bread Baked apple Brown Bread. — Beat together thoroughly 2 cups New Orleans molasses, 2 cups sweet milk, 1 cup sour milk. Add to this 1 heaping cup each corn meal, rye and graham flour, 1 teaspoonful salt and a dessertspoonful of soda, thoroughly mixed together and sifted. Pour into a buttered mould or pail with tight fitting lid (the recep- tacle should be three-fourths full). Place in a ket- tle of cold water and boil four hours. See that the water does not boil to top of mould ; or that it doesn't stop boiling or boil away. To serve re- move lid of mould and set it a few minutes in the oven to dry the top. It will turn out in a perfect shape. Bean soup Baked eggplant Salsify Bran muffins Cold slaw a la May Irwin Dates stuffed with peanuts Baked Eggplant. — Split the eggplant cross- wise, scoop out the inside leaving shell hard and THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 73 firm. Chop the pulp, add % cup cream, salt, some melted butter and enough bread crumbs to thicken. Fill shells, tie together and bake one hour or more. Cold Slaw. — Shred a cabbage very fine. Mix 1/2 teaspoonful salt, a tablespoonful of butter, melted, a tablespoonful of sugar, three-fourths cup of cream, and one egg slightly beaten. Heat 3 tablespoonsful of cider vinegar, add egg mix- ture slowly, stirring constantly. Pour hot over the cabbage. Serve cold with a sprinkling of celery seed. Creamed beets Cooked celery Squash or sweet potato Corn bread Tomato salad Raisin pie Creamed Beets. — After removing skins of cooked beets, place in a saucepan with a cupful of warm water. Then add the cream sauce made of butter, a tablespoon of flour and half a cupful of cream. A WORD ABOUT LUNCHEONS AS has been suggested elsewhere in these pages, the person who wishes to cure himself quickly and easily of constipation can have no better luncheon than fruit alone. In fact, during the first weeks of "the new life" it would be best to adhere rigidly to the luncheon of fruit exclusively. A lit- tle later, nuts, salted or plain, may be added. Almonds are highest in nutriment. A wine- glassful of fruit juice might be taken, but no starchy food of any kind. The individ- ual taste will make its own combinations among the fruits. Grapes, alone, form a complete and satisfying meal. Do not for- get, however, to take more fruit or fruit juice before the evening meal. If enough fruit is taken, and an ounce or so of nuts 74 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 75 eaten, one need not fear that they have had an insufficient meal. Figs and peanuts are a delicious com- bination. Dates and almonds. Raisins and mixed nuts. Later luncheons of various salads will make an occasional agreeable change from the strictly fruit lunch. Fruit salad with mayonnaise. *Celery and apple salad. ^Peanut-butter dressing. With the salads, whole-wheat bread sand- wiches may be eaten. Brown bread sandwiches with banana fill- ing. *Take equal quantities of apple and celery; sprinkle with lemon juice and let stand till cold. Mix peanut-butter in proportion of one-third with mayonnaise. Arrange on crisp lettuce, add dressing and sprinkle with chopped ripe olives. 76 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Whole-wheat bread with date and peanut- butter filling. Graham bread, chopped nuts, figs, dates and raisins as filling and with a pinch of salt added. Rye bread, tomato, lettuce and mayon- naise. (The mayonnaise should always be made with lemon juice, never with vinegar.) Apple and cress salad, French dressing. Endive salad, with beets. Water cress and beets, mayonnaise. Potato salad. Chopped tomato and pineapple, mayon- naise or French dressing. Asparagus and cucumbers, mayonnaise. Salad of a melange of fruits. Salad of a melange of vegetables. TABLE OF CELLULOSE VALUES IN THE EDIBLE PARTS OF FOOD Per Cent of Fruits Cellulose Huckleberries 12.2 Raspberries 7.4 Figs, dried 7.3 Prunes, dried 7.3 Cranberries 6.2 Dates 5.5 Blackberries 5.2 Currants 4.6 Plums 4.3 Cherries 3.8 Peaches 3.4 Pears 3.1 Apricots 3.1 Gooseberries 2.7 Apples 2.7 Grapes 2.5 Strawberries 2.2 Raisins 1.7 Oranges 1.5 Lemons 1.5 Pineapples 1.5 Watermelons 1.0 Mulberries 0.9 Bananas 0.2 77 78 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS Per Cent of Vegetables Cellulose Navy beans, dry 4.4 Parsnips 2.5 Baked beans, canned 2.1 Asparagus 2.1 Green peas i 1.7 Lima beans 1.7 Turnips 1.3 Sweet potatoes 1.3 Tomatoes 1.1 Rhubarb 1.1 Cabbage 1.1 Carrots 1.1 Cauliflower 1.0 Baked potato 1.0 Spinach 0.9 Beets 0.9 Celery 0.9 Artichokes 0.8 Onions 0.8 Squash 0.8 Mushrooms 0.8 Egg plant 0.8 String beans 0.8 Lettuce 0.5 Green corn 0.5 Cucumbers 0.5 Potatoes, white 0.4 Brussels sprouts 0.37 Water cress 0.1 THROW PHYSIC TO THE DOGS 79 Per Cent of Nuts Cellulose English walnuts 2.6 Peanuts 2.5 Almonds 2.0 Chestnuts 1.8 Black walnuts 1.7 Per Cent of Cereals Cellulose Bran 40. Oatmeal 10. Barley 4. Rye-meal 3. Corn-meal 2. Cracked wheat 1.7 Whole-wheat bread 1.2 Graham bread 1.2 Pearl barley 0.3 White bread 0.3 Polished rice 0.2 BOOKS CONSULTED Constipation, Obstipation and Intestinal Stasis Gant Saunders, Phil., 1916 Nutrition and Dietetics Hall Appleton, 1916 Diet Issued by Battle Creek Sanitarium The Prolongation of Life Metchnikoff Putnam, 1908 Bran Gallant Reprinted from the N. Y. Medical Review Corrective Eating Eugene Christian, N. Y. Colon Hygiene Kellogg Battle Creek Chronic Intestinal Stasis Lane British Medical Journal, 1913 80