FOOD OF MAN AND OTHER ANIMALS. 121 



to his food, and therefore he has the power of accom- 

 modating himself to a wider range, and a greater variety 

 of nourishment than any other -animal, and which he 

 seems also to require. 



357. For, while animals in the natural state of choice, 

 confine themselves to a particular kind of food, the organi- 

 zation of man, it would appear, makes it necessary for 

 him to partake of a variety of nourishment. We do 

 not contend that the stomach of man, or his health and 

 vigor, require that he should be an adept in the science 

 of gastronomy, and indulge in the stimulating mixtures 

 of the luxurious. On the contrary, the physiology of 

 the stomach, as well as the known consequences, clearly 

 prove, that th$ long-continued use of highly stimulating 

 food destroys the digestive functions, and consequently 

 tends to direct debility, and visceral derangement. In- 

 dependently of the use of vinous or alcoholic admixture, 

 it is clearly proved, that a protracted use of highly irri- 

 tating condiments, not only induce general prostration 

 of muscular power, but finally exhaust the irritability 

 of the digestive organs, and cause obstructions in other 

 viscera, so as to superinduce a condition of the whole sys- 

 tem, which neither future abstemiousness, nor sanative 

 remedies can change, and which, therefore, must terminate 

 in a general dissolution of the whole. 



358. But a variety and admixture of nourishment is far 

 from involving an abuse of the digestive powers, and 

 that the organization of our species requires such a va- 

 riety, has been proved by various and repeated experi- 

 ments. 



359. Dr. Starts Experiments. The fact last men- 

 tioned, has been strikingly illustrated and abundantly proved 

 by the recent experiments of Dr. Stark, of Vienna, upon 

 himself. This zealous and self-denying experimentalist, 

 in order to establish the physiological effects of various 

 kinds of diet on the human system, confined himself 

 exclusively to a single article of food, for a certain 



Does the organization of man require a variety of food or not ? What is 

 said of the continued use of stimulating condiments? What were the ex- 

 periments of Dr. Stark * What were the results of these experiments* 



11 



