Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/342

 Ogtobkr 22,  1859. J THE COOK  OR

Of the  wild  bee’s  placid  murmur,  of  the  breeze  and of the  wave, —

Cries of  mothers  for  their  offspring,  and  of  wives  for those still  dearer,

And of  children  calling  fathers  from  the  crystal  of their  grave.

And the  crazed  yet  harmless  Amy  wander’d  ^hither every morning,

Through the  driving  snows  of  winter  and  the  summer green and  cool, —

Talk’d in  fancy  to  her  William  till  the  holy  angels call’d her:

And this  short  but  tragic  legend  is  the  tale  of  Brad- mere Pool. Louisa Stewart.

THE COOK  OR  THE  DOCTOR?

It is  always  with  a shock  of  surprise  and  pain that we  read,  in  the  Registrar’s  Reports,  and  in the  accounts  of  Coroners’  Inquests,  of  death  from starvation. Everybody says  the  same  thing  on every  occasion  of  the  kind; — that  there  must  have been great  fault  somewhere,  because  the  law  of the  land  provides  subsistence  for  every  person  in it. Let it  be  granted  that  deaths  from  destitu- tion of the  necessaries  of  life  are  gratuitous: this is  but  a small  part  of  the  mortality  from hunger. The number  of  persons  who  die  annually from being  underfed  is  very  great. The victims themselves are  often  unaware  of  the  fact: and  so are  their  neighbours  generally. Whatever disease last lays  its  grasp  upon  them, — invited  by  their low condition  of  body, — is  called  the  cause  of  their death; but  if  the  truth  were  fully  understood, we should  Bee  in  the  register,  instead  of  columns of entries  of  low  fevers,  tubercular  diseases,  and fatal affections  of  the  viscera,  one  comprehensive term,— deficient nutriment.

If this  kind  and  degree  of  mortality  were  owing to national  poverty,  or  to  social  arrangements which condemn  large  classes  to  destitution,  this would not  be  the  place  for  any  remarks  on  the

THE DOCTOR? 331

subject. It would  be  a political  topic  of  extreme gravity, which  ought  to  occupy  the  full  attention of Queen,  Lords,  Commons,  and  the  political press: but it  is  far  otherwise. There never  was a time when  work  and  means  of  subsistence  were so generally  diffused  in  the  United  Kingdom,  as in  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century. There is every  reason  to  believe  that  there  is  food  enough in the  country  to  keep  up  the  health  and  strength of every  person  in  it: and  it  is  only  the  deficiency of our  knowledge  and  skill  in  regard  to  food  which causes a large  number  of  men,  women,  and  children to be  underfed  in  the  midst  of  abundance.

It is  a rare  thing  to  find  the  head  of  a house- hold in any  rank  of  life  well  informed  as  to  the right kind  and  degree  of  nourishment  for  any  one person. Hence there  is  such  a thing  as  a family being underfed  in  the  midst  of  wealth. This happens where  jthe  quantity  which  goes  down  the throat is  considered  to  be  the  same  thing  as  so much  nutriment. The same  mistake  is  to  be expected  in  the  labourer’s  home; and  it  is  found there, with  the  aggravation  that  the  food  which  is eaten,  whether  more  or  less  nourishing  at  best,  is in  great  part  spoiled  by  bad  cookery. If it  was thoroughly well  known  throughout  the  country how much  nourishment  every  body  ought  to  have, what articles  of  food  yield  that  nourishment  best, and how  they  may  be  best  prepared,  there  need be no  underfeeding,  from  the  palace  to  the labourer’s cottage. It is  only  within  a short  time that this  has  been  fully  understood. The know- ledge is now  being  applied  to  improve  the  diet  and the health  of  our  soldiers: and  we  must  hope  that the benefit  will  extend  to  all  other  classes.

The main  principle  of  the  matter  is  simply  this.

A large proportion  of  the  food  we  eat  is  mere water and  material  which  does  not  nourish. What is  nourishment? What is  the  precise  mean- ing of it?

There are  two  kinds  of  nourishment  in  good and sufficient  food; but  they  are  not  quite  of equal  necessity;  they  are  of  very  different  pro- portions; and the  smaller  amount  (by  weight),  is the  most  indispensable. This smaller  element  is absolutely  necessary  to  life,  as  it  goes  to  repair  that waste of  the  substance  of  the  body  which  never stops. When this  waste  is  not  supplied  by  food containing this  element,  the  parts  perish  very soon. A person starved  to  death  on  a desert island lives  only  a few  days. I am acquainted with one  who  lived  thirty  days  under  these  cir- cumstances: but he  was  tike  only  survivor  of  his party; he was  barely  breathing  when  assistance came; and  his  case  is  considered  almost  unparalleled.

He and  his  comrades  had  been  set  ashore  in  a mutiny. He made  the  Freemasons’  sign  to  the leading mutineer,  and  the  man  returned  in  thirty days, landed  with  a kettle  of  hot  brandy-and- water in  his  hand,  and  found  my  friend  sense- less under a bush,  with  the  bodies  of  his  comrades lying about  him. His appearance  was  extraor- dinary ever afterwards,  as  if  every  fibre  in  his face was  vibrating  without  ceasing;  but  he  re- covered to be  a world’s  wonder,  for  having  lived thirty days  through  the  waste  of  his  frame,  with- out its having  been  repaired  more  or  less. Four days of  absolute  fasting  is,  I believe,  usually  con-