VEGETABLES. 707 
garden Rhubarb, Sorrel, and Tomatoes, because of their oxalic 
acid). Vegetable feeders require relatively more table salt 
with their food than mixed feeders, particularly with Potatoes, 
so as to neutralize chemically such excess of mineral salts as 
might otherwise be prejudicial; for this reason herbivorous 
animals crave for common salt, but not so the carnivorous 
animals. For gouty, or rheumatic persons the acidity of the 
urine can be certainly kept in check by a free use of green 
vegetables, and of such other foods as contain alkaline salts of 
potash ; but at the same time the diet must not be too poor 
in proteids. As for the vegetables, they are not to be cooked 
in a deluge of water, else this, when thrown away before serving, 
will carry with it most of the soluble alkaline salts which should 
serve to neutralize the acids of digestive fermentation. Green 
fruits (uncooked), and raw vegetables disturb the stomach and 
bowels, because the starch which they contain cannot be acted 
upon by the saliva during mastication when these foods are 
unboiled; then, on their reaching the stomach, the gastric juice 
cannot gain access to their structure so as to digest the albuminoid 
constituents, therefore the substances remain ill-digested, and 
troublesome sour fermentation is the result. 
That cooking increases the digestibility of things eaten at 
table is true only with respect to vegetable foods, whilst that 
of animal foods is diminished rather than increased by cooking. 
But the flatulence which so often occurs after taking a meal of 
cooked green vegetables, particularly of Cabbage, does not 
similarly happen if we eat practically the same green vegetables 
in the form of plain salads uncooked ; therefore it must be the 
cooking process which then gives rise to this obnoxious difference, 
that is, through the splitting-up effect of the heat, and the 
fermentation of the carbohydrates (starch, sugar, and fat) 
induced by cooking, when a formation of fermentative acids, and 
gases occurs (chiefly carburetted, phosphuretted, and sulphuretted 
hydrogen) in the system. Vegetable foods, unless eaten in large 
quantities, will not afford a sufficiency of proteid nourishment 
to the body; and what proteid food is present vegetables 
has its value lowered in many cases by the difficulty with 
which it is utilized therein. Furthermore, the nitrogenous 
essentials of bodily nourishment can be obtained in the needful 
concentrated state only from animal foods, these essentials 
making for nervous energy, and intellectual capacity, as well 
