530 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



digested, but never so as to disorganize any of it by any analyzing 

 process whatever. 



Food, in ray opinion, should either be taken rawer ripe, as sup- 

 plied by nature; or else only pulverized by machinery and soaked 

 in very warm or hot water, to assist the mechanical mastication 

 and soaking in the mouth and stomach, so as to render the par- 

 ticles or fibres of food easily separated from each other, and 

 always without any chemical changes in the atomic organization 

 of the several original vegetable particles. According to these 

 indications, extensive and practical acquaintance with the details 

 of practical chemistry is required in cooking only in detecting, 

 preventing and rejecting every chemical change in the food, while 

 storing or cooking it, as well as in the condiment while eating. 

 In pursuance of the requirement of our nature to have our food 

 taste the most pleasantly possible, and at the same time never in 

 any measure disorganized, I have succeeded, by inquiries and 

 experiments, in making up a very much improved system of cook- 

 ing all kinds of food, or serving it merely ripe ; and in selecting 

 most advantageously the various good articles of food for every 

 different age, climate, occupation and exposure of mankind, so 

 that man may live well wherever any other animal at all can exist. 



The main peculiarities of this system of cooking are, first : that 

 everything is, Avhile cooking, kept below 212 deg. of Fa., and 

 that the bread is exploded by the combination of the elements of 

 common salt, previously mixed into the flour and water for the 

 dough. But the most important part of this system of securing 

 well organized materials for men and animals, is that which 

 describes the most expedient modes of selecting and preserving 

 food for both men now to be fed, as well as for the good of the 

 health and soundness of the vegetables and brutes to be here- 

 after harvested or butchered for mankind. 



Mr. Seely said he had listened with interest to this theory. 

 Each one might indulge his theory, but he w^ould instance birds 

 that would eat nothing but carrion. 



He did not agree that decomposition was objectionable, because 

 it always takes place in the system before assimilation. In regard 

 to the modern preparation of food for its preservation, the 

 greatest improvement is in drying. 



Dr. Stevens. — The great use of cooking is to make the food 

 pleasant to the first sentinel, the nose ; the second sentinel, the 

 palate, is next to be pleased; the third is to make it easy of 



