A practical treatise on diet and on the most salutary and agreeable means of supporting life and health by aliment and regimen ... and including the application of modern chemistry to the culinary preparation of food

Front matter

ea PRACTICAL TREATISE

ON

DIET,

Preface

Tue subject of diet is of the’ first ime portance to mankind. Et has: received, however, from the generality of Physicians, a less share of attention than its importance demands, and the cure of actual disease is commonly more aimed at than its preven-

tion, or the real preservation of health. Compared with the other branches of

.. the medical art, the works upon diet are few, and of these @# very small number can , be considered as possessing practical utility. Hence they are little fitted to instruct society at large. ‘Fhose which do afford practical instruction, consist generally of small detached works on particular subyects ; and those which assume a more compiete form, are entirely of a professional and scientific nature, and abound in hypothetical, and conjectural matter. Among.

iv. | PREFACE.

Among the ancient Physicians, diet was considered as a subject of the first conse quence. Their remedies were fewer in number than those of the moderns, and they were consequently led to the regulation of diet, as a more successful means of curing disease than the application of medicine. It would have been well for society at present, if the same opinion and practice, were followed by modern Physicians.

Of the advantages attending a proper regulation of diet, most individuals can form a judgment from their own experience. Jt is at least this idea upon which the com- ° mon maxim is founded, that every man, after the age of forty, is best fitted to be his own physician; a maxim which implies, in other words, that every mam in respect, to what he eats and drinks, is enabled to distinguish, by that period, the food which best agrees with him.

In chronic diseases, it is obvious. that the chief means of cure consist in the proper regulation of diet alone. The oriein of diseases, it must be allowed, is more frequently to be traced to improprieties in diet, than to any other cause; and

| the

PREFACE, . Ve the sdurdd of relief must necessarily be sought for in the reversing of that plan of liv- Ing which gave rise to the diseased state. In the following work it has been the leading object of the Author, to unite the knowledge of particular facts with general “principles and reasonings; and to carry these reasonings no further than to connect facts and principles with practice. ~ He has collected tozether a greater mass ef matter than has appeared before in any single book, and, without assuming any merit to himself, his work must be useful entirely on that account. It might, indeed, have been extended to a much larger size ; -but his chief labour was to condense his materials, that he might enable readers o all descript ons to acquaint themselves with a ‘subject of such partieular importance, and exhibit every fact, at the same time, in the simplest and clearest point of view. Nothing, indeed, could tend so much to improve the seience of medicine, as to endeavour to make man acquainted with himself. ‘The principles of the animal economy rendered familiar and plain, anda knowledge conveyed of the action of substances upon it,

Yi: PREFACE.

it, is the only way to root out those false - maxims and prejudices, which ignorance and education produce.

- How far the present attempt has suceeeded, must be left to the decision of the public. The endeavours of the author, he can at least assert, have been well intended for the benefit of mankind.

CONTENTS. ane KEP DP

-

Gen ERAL Plan of the Work. o af -

Different Constitutions of Body - = Effects of Luxury in Modern: Times “ Diviston I,. Management of the Skin _

; Means of Effecting it =

Ist. By proper temperature By clothing Different kinds of clothing Clothing of particular Parts 2d. By promoting its excretion:

By cleanliness ~ ~ Bathing ~ Different kinds of Bathing By Friction - z

Divisron II, Effects of the Atmosphere

General Composition of the Atmosphere

Vital air = is Azote w ‘ “ Carbonic Acid - p

Its Mode of Purification by 2 Exhalation of Vapour The Process of Vegetation

General Influence of the Atmmrplkre on the body.

Ist. By its Pressure’ - 2d. By its salubrity - ” 3d. By its temperature

Ath. By its Dryness and Moisture 5th. By its sudden variations ee

6th. By its peculiar Impregnations =

Particular Influence of Weather, and

Situation a he ib.

Ibe.

Wille

Division IIT.

Class I.

Class IT.

CONTENTSe

Pages

Of Aliment, or Diet, divided into food

Of Food in General Regulation of Meals Interval between Meals Conduct subsequent to Meals and Drink

Of Animal Food

General Effects of it Diference from Vegetable Food Division of Animal Food into

Quadrupeds as Cow kind

Veal Beef

Sheep kind

Pork

Lanib Mutton

Goat = Venison we

Roebuck Fallow Deer

. Stag Hare

Rabbit : -

General -_Remarks on the Fl

Of rupeds Fowls Introduction Hen ° Cock Capon Pullet Guinea Fowl Turkey Peacock Pheasant Partridge Quail esh of Quad

CONTENTS, ie

Page, Goose a - LIlo Duck ) = ies ev : Pidgeon « ai Th, Thrush oe Pe Blackbird « = 4d.

Gnatsnapper ® a ae Lark = -~ hi4 Ortolan « a>. Ceres Starling - @ ibs Lapwing and Plover oe a aie Moor Hen “ - 114: Woodcozk. - Pe oes Snipe ~“ - tb.

Eggs = or ib.- General Remarks on the Flesh of Fowls 16. Class III, Fish _- - e 119: Introduction * - ib.

Salmon. = sy OO Pike = - 123 Carp - «abe Perch ~ = 124 Whiting « - ih, Haddock. = - ib.

Cod - = 195- Eels - ~ ib.

Tench. = Pe ‘Eronut:.;. = = aby Shad = ant Ria ib Thornback “ * tbe Barbel - = 133 Tunny = a Gathy.

Lumpus * - 134 Gurnard = »- ibe Mullet Fr = ab, Barbotte. - ~ 927 Gudgeon ~ abe Smelt 2 = tbs.

Lamprey aa a! Abe Mackerel ~ - 123.

Sturgeon ~ = ibe

Class IV.

CONTENTSe

Page ‘ Herring « - 129 Pilchard - - 130 Anchovy - e a ahs Plaise and Flounder w= .«! 138 Sole - = “fp ‘ Turbot - = 3p Roach - - 132 Shell Fish - - 134 Sea Crab - «, 435 Lobster - Pe | Shrimps - - 136 Craw Fish ae! a Oysters - - 137 Snail = = 139 Musse! and Cockle . 140

Smaller kinds, viz. Wilks, Lempet, dnd Clam - = > ite Amphibious Tribe @ - 14 Turtle = ees Lizard = - 141 Frog = -. ib.

Viper - 143 General Remarks on Fish as Food - 143 Poison of Fish = ee

Deceptions practised on the janes of Animal Food - 151

Clasé IV. Milk, or Intermediate Aliment « 54 Different parts of Milk « 15S Cream = =~ abe Botter - ern Cheese - \ - 160 Whey * = hee Different kinds of Milk - - =. fog Woman’s Milk - =. . ag Asses Milk 2 ~ tee Goat’s Milk - ~ 167 Ewe’s Milk - o ape Mare’s Milk “ o-. Se Secretion of Milk © ns - 168 Alimentary uses of Milk - 169

Aliment

Class I,

CONTENTS. Rie

ae Page

Aliment for Infancy e 169 Aliment for Manhood - 178 Aliment for disease - 173

Choice of Milk suited to various

circumstances = = “97S

Effects of Milk ~, © P76 of different parts of it - ib.

of Cream z = > aS a of Cheese - - 178 of Corstorphine creany - 18]

of Whey - - 182 simple - - 1b,

Butter Milk - 183

Vinous Milk, or Koumiss ~ 185 Condiments of Milk = eb,

Particular choice of Cow’s and

Asses’ Milk - 185 Vegetable Food ~ ° 187 ~ Introduction or * 09D, Division of Vegetable Food into - 195 Farinaceous Seeds - 196 Grains ie = 3B Bread ~ - 2a, Leavened Bread - 199.

By natural Ferment = 9D,

By vinous Ferment - 200 Baking _ J aiby Unleavened Bread ~ 201 Preparations by Coagulation - 202 Pudding = a Pancake - - ib, Baking Paste “ aay,

Rules for the Use of Bread - 208 Wheat - - 209 Barley = De Oats - - 211

Rye = -~ 213 Millet - - 215 Rice - - 126 Maize, or Indian Corn » 212

Buck rates CONTENTS.

: Page _ Buck Wheat = - 219 Manna, or Flote Fescue Grass - 1b. Guinea Corn = = 220 Sago - o- 3b, Salep = = = 222 Tapioca: ~ -~ 223 Indian Arrow Root SI Iceland Liverwort 3 ae Bread Fruit - - 224 Bread Nut - ee lantain Fruit - - 225 Banana Fruit - ma Pulses ~ =. ‘ee Pease ~ = 225 Beans - vi we Bae Kidney Beans © ~ - 228 Lentils - ~ 229 Chesnuts mee. - ibs Oily Nuts - - 230 Filbert - « 232 Almonds - = 232 Pistachio Nut - oy 233 Cocoa Nut - a ee Walnut - = 23or Cashew Nut - & ) De White Poppy Seed = Sob, Potatoe - ib.

Class II, Roots - - 239 Nourishing Roots o> aie Beet Root “ - ib.

Carret - ~ _ 246 ‘Turnip ~ ~- 241 Persnip - 242 Skirret = - 243 Viper’s Grass - ib.

Goat’s Beard - ~ 244 Spanish Potatoe « = = 4b.

Yams - ; « ib, Jerusalem Artichoke sence) Ns Stimulent Roots = = 245 — lass IIT.

Contents

Radish

Horseradish.

Cellery Parsley Onion- a Leek