14 THE POTATO 



of meat would perhaps do more than any other 

 one thing to suppress the alarming increase of this 

 fatal malady. 



"Arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, 

 a disease which causes apoplexy and is associated 

 with Bright's disease and various forms of heart 

 disease besides being the cause of premature old 

 age, is most often directly the result of chronic 

 poisoning, the source of which is the putrefaction 

 of undigested remnants of animal substances 

 which have been eaten, which undergo decay with 

 the absorption of poisonous products. The free use 

 of the potato as an article of diet in place of the 

 excessive consumption of meat and fish, a prac- 

 tice widely prevalent, would unquestionably check 

 the alarmingly rapid development of this disease, 

 which, according to the United States mortality 

 reports, has increased 400 per cent, in the last ten 

 years. 



"The potato, buttermilk, and oatmeal diet of 

 the Irish has developed one of the most sturdy and 

 enduring races of men to be found anywhere. The 

 proportion of centenarians in Ireland is more than 

 ten times as great as in England. There can be 

 no doubt that the free use of potatoes by the Irish 

 is in large measure responsible for the remarkable 

 longevity of this nation. 



"The idea that the potato is difficult of diges- 

 tion and thus gives rise to fermentation in the 

 stomach is entirely erroneous. The fault is not 

 with the potato but with the manner of eating. 

 When acted upon by the saliva, the starch of the 

 potato is converted into maltose and dextrin, 

 which Pawlow of St. Petersburg has shown to be 

 powerful stimulants of the glands of the stomach. 

 Properly cooked and well chewed, the potato is 



