180 LIFE PROCESSES OF MAN 



149. Adulteration of Foods. — Foods are adulterated either 

 by subtracting some of the nutritious parts and substitut- 

 ing less valuable parts, or by adding materials which can- 

 not act as a food. 



The food formerly subject to the most adulteration was 

 milk. This adulteration was done by adding water to 

 make the milk go farther when being measured out, and 

 adding formalin (for'ma-lin) to make it keep sweet. 



For a time many of the cereals were adulterated with 

 sawdust, peanut shucks, or bran. Many of the special 

 foods put up in packages used to be adulterated, and it 

 would require a long description to enumerate all that 

 have been found unsatisfactory for food by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



Pure Food Laivs. — Congress in 1906 passed what is 

 known as the Pure Food and Drug Law. This law 

 requires manufacturers of food and medicine to state on 

 the label what is in each package or bottle. This enables 

 one to know just what. he is buying. 



150. Indigestion. — Few children that have an oppor- 

 tunity to romp and play out-of-doors and have plenty of 

 simple and plain food ever experience any ill feeling in 

 the digestive canal. However, as children grow older, 

 exercise less, and eat richer food, they may suffer much 

 inconvenience from indigestion. 



Indigestion is a condition which rarely extends to all 

 parts of the digestive canal; it is located either in the 

 stomach or in the small intestine. This may indicate that 

 certain kinds of food are not properly digested. Indiges- 

 tion may be caused by eating the wrong kinds of foods 

 or by overloading the stomach. If the food is chewed 

 thoroughly, the appetite is usually a safe guide as to the 

 amount needed by the body. Moreover, food thoroughly 

 chewed is more easily acted upon by the digestive fluids. 



