"210 Appendix. 



It is generally considered that fruits are mostly water, and hence serve an 

 insignificant role in maintaining the nutrition of the body. It must be admitted 

 that with few exceptions fruits have a large percentage of water, yet this water 

 possesses an important food value. Milk is regarded as an important food, and 

 is universally adopted as a diet in fevers, yet it has a higher percentage of water 

 than apples, pears, peaches, grapes, cherries or strawberries, while apples, cher- 

 ries and pears possess almost the food value of whole milk as estimated in 

 heat calorics. On the other hand, one pound of cherries contains as much albu- 

 men as one egg, so does one pound of the best grapes or two pounds of straw- 

 berries. It is obvious from this comparison that, while so large a proportion 

 of fruits consists of water, yet even the most succulent fruits possess a greater 

 food value than is generally known. 



The food value of grapes per pound is 4.50 heat calorics, pears 380, apples 

 290, bananas 460-600. These figures compare favorably with those giving the 

 food value of fish, and the food value of most cuts of lean beef is only about 

 double this estimate. The writer would not be understood as advocating an 

 exclusive fruit diet, but only as emphasizing the food value of fruits and that 

 fruits should be eaten more extensively as a food, and not simply as dessert. 



ItlCII IN ORGANIC ACIDS. 



The analysis of fruits shows that they are especially rich in organic acids, 

 mineral salts, sugar, pectin and essential oils. In fact, the value and great de- 

 mand for fruit is due, principally, to the craving of the bodily system for these 

 ■elements. The acids and salts of fruit are the best, most satisfactory, the safest 

 and most absolutely harmless "blood purifiers" that have been given to man. 

 They are not nauseating draughts nor highly tinctured with alcohol, and are 

 within the reach of all. 



According to Presenius, the flavor of fruits depends, first, on the ratio in 

 which acids stand to sugar, gum and other carbohydrates ; second, on the pres- 

 ence and delicacy of the aroma due to essential oils ; third, on the proportion 

 between soluble and insoluble substance and water ; fourth, on cultivation, which 

 aims at increasing the proportion of sugar ; fifth, on favorable seasons and on the 

 soil. 



The predominating acids of fruits are citric, malic and tartaric acids. Citric 

 acid is the principal acid found in lemons, oranges, limes and grape fruit. 

 Malic acid is tlie chief acid in apples, peaches, pears, cherries and currants. 

 Tartaric acid, in grapes. 



In ripe fruits there is no starch excepting a trace in certain bananas and 

 in the bread fruit. 



In green fruit starch abounds, but in the process of ripening under the 

 actinic rays of the sun, the starch is entirely converted into fruit sugar or lev- 

 nlose and dextrose, the sweetness of which compares with that of money. Among 

 fresh fruits, red pears contain the most sugar, the proportion of acid to sugar 

 being 1.95. Next comes flrapes with 24 per cent, sweet cherries with about 17 

 per cent, and apples with 12 to 20 per cent. The strawberry has more than 

 6 per cent of sugar. In dried fruit the sugar is much more abundant. For in- 

 stance, dried figs contain 50 per cent of fruit sugar ; dried apples 43 per cent ; 

 dried cherries 32 per cent, and raisins 54 per cent. Hence it can be seen that 

 these fruits possess a high food value. The sugar of fruits, when oxidized, fur- 

 nishes about one-half the energy of the same amount of starch. Fruit sugar 

 being already predigested by the actinic rays of the sun, and being absorbed 

 more quickly than water because of the presence of the combined acids and 

 salts, is easily and readily oxidized and furnishes no small amount of energy to 

 the body. German investigator has shown that fruit sugar, when oxodized, has 

 a special tonic effect upon involuntary muscle. For these reasons fruits and 

 fruit juices furnish us wth an ideal food for acute fevers. 



Then again, fruits are valuable because of the rich supply of organic salts 



