DIGESTION. 75 



just as do all the organs of the body. Three meals a day is a 

 common division of labor for the organs of digestion. This is 

 in accordance with the laws of physiology, and established by 

 experience. In departing from this rule we impose upon the 

 Stomach. 



In infancy, milk is sufficient to supply all the necessaries of 

 life, but as the child grows, a more varied diet is required. 

 Now comes the temptation. The child develops tastes, and 

 unless checked, will take to excess the food for which it has 

 the greatest liking. Craving for candies and sweetmeats is 

 common, and if indulged, will injure the stomach and take 

 away the desire for proper food. Children should be taught 

 temperance in food, and not allowed to eat wholly of any one 

 class because their appetites run in that direction. 



The kind of food most suitable to man depends largely on 

 the climate in which he lives. In the cold northern regions 

 there is the strongest* liking for the heat-producers, and the 

 natives live mostly on fats. In the sunny south a diet of 

 fruits and vegetables largely prevails. In temperate climates 

 the diet consists of mixed foods. In his primitive state man 

 uses food in its simplest forms. The more civilized the more 

 he becomes addicted to the use of artificial food, and the 

 more he suffers from digestive derangements. To the natural 

 appetite no artificial preparations to please the taste are 

 required. To indulge the taste for the pleasure it affords 

 often means the taking of more food than the system requires. 

 The cook who prepares the daintiest dishes may not always 

 be regarded as a benefactor to his fellowrnaii. 



26. Alcoholic Stimulants and Tonics. A tonic is a 

 medicine given to increase the appetite, or to strengthen and 

 invigorate the system. It is only when a person is feeling ill, 

 or is recovering from a severe sickness, that a tonic to the 

 stomach is desirable. To be continually dosing the system to 

 create an appetite is unwise. It is vastly more so to try to do 



