234 State Horticttltitral Society. 



FRUIT FOR PRESERVING HEALTHFULNESS. 



Frederick M. Rossiter, M. D. : 



In acute fever there is no diet that compares with fresh fruit without 

 sugar, nor a diet that the patient craves more or takes to more kindly. 

 Fruit juices tax the digestive organs little and go a long ways toward 

 keeping up the strength, at the same time furnishing no fuel to feed the 

 fever, and no media on which bacteria can thrive ; at the same time, also, 

 they act favorably on the liver and kidneys, and they assist in the oxida- 

 tion and elimination of bacterial poisons. Aseptic foods furnish us with 

 most rational and scientific intestinal antisepsis that can be practiced, and 

 one that does not tax the vital resistance of the patient to recover from 

 later. 



Strawberries and lemons are especially valuable in uric acid diseases, 

 because they not only contain a large amount of free acid, but are rich in 

 potassium, sodium and magnesium salts. The fruit acids and acids in 

 combination with salts, in the process of absorption and in the liver are 

 oxodized, setting free large quantities of alkaline salts, increasing the 

 alkalinity of the blood, and so supplying a most excellent solvent for uric 

 and urates. Hence it can be easily seen that fruit acids increase the al- 

 kalinity of the blood, fostering a perfectly normal condition and being a 

 normal food. The greater the alkalinity of the blood the greater is its 

 power to counteract disease. 



FOR URIC ACID DISEASES. 



The lemon cure for rheumatism is quite popular in different parts of 

 Europe. Two of the most prolific sources of uric acid formation and re- 

 tention in the system are flesh foods and alcoholic drinks. Fresh fruits 

 and their juices not only largely correct the disorders due to excessive 

 meat eating, but furnish a most excellent substitute for alcoholic drinks 

 and lessen the desire for these beverages. After eating fresh fruit or 

 drinking fruit juice alcoholic drinks lose much of their charm. I ven- 

 ture to say that if fruit juice were more largely used as a beverage in the 

 home the consumption of fermented and distilled drinks would be greatly 

 diminished. 



Emperor William of Germany, on his recent Mediterranean trip, ab- 

 stained from spirituous liquors and substituted carbonated water and rasp- 

 berry juice. He improved so much that since his return he has practically 

 become a teetotaler, and is strongly advocating fruit juices. This is of 



