148 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



Question. Is it hurtful to eat just before retiring? 



Dr. BowEN. Yes, sir, and no, sir. (Laughter.) That 

 depends a great deal upon the patient, if you will allow me 

 to use the word. I have very often recommended persons to 

 take a light repast before retiring, the idea being to give the 

 stomach a little excitement to start its peristaltic action ; get 

 the nerves started, so to speak, in that direction, and thus 

 relieve the brain. I think, as a general thing, it is better for 

 an ordinarily healthy person to retire on an empty stomach. 



Question. Would you prescribe food to excite peristaltic 

 action ? 



Dr. BowEN. I don't know how it can be brought about in 

 any other way. There must be food there to start it. 



Question. Is not peristaltic action going on in the intes- 

 tines constantly, in a state of health ? 



Dr. BowEN. To a certain, limited degree. It is greatly 

 increased soon after the stomach receives its burden. 



Question. Does it not take from two to four hours for 

 digestion to take place in the stomach ? 



Dr. BowEN. As soon as the stomach receives its load, 

 there commences a grasping of it, and very soon peristaltic 

 action commences, which is communicated to the intestines 

 almost at once. It is for this reason (you will excuse me for 

 speaking so plainly), tliat the call of nature should be attended 

 to soon after breakfast. It is more prone to take place at 

 that time. 



Mr. Hubbard. I wish simply to direct attention to the 

 question of ventilation of cellars, for, as a matter of fact, we 

 have to use them, more or less. I hardly think many of us, 

 even if we should happen to build a new house, would follow 

 the advice of the speaker, and dispense entirely with a cellar. 

 It is a fixed institution, I think, in the New England farm- 

 house. What I wished to ask was, if it was not entirely 

 practical so to ventilate those cellars, and care for them, that 

 they should not be sources of disease? I live in an old house 

 myself, which has a chimney stack in the center, starting 



