VALUE AS FOOD. 79 



fects of the other, and that it is truly the 

 panacea of old age. 



" Our life, as a famous physician observes, 

 is, as it were, a continual growing dry ; 

 but yet this kind of natural consumption is 

 imperceptible to an advanced age, when 

 the radical moisture is consumed more 

 sensibly. The more balmy and volatile 

 parts of the blood are dissipated by little 

 and little ; the salts, disengaging from the 

 sulphurs, manifest themselves ; - the acid 

 appears, which is the fruitful source of 

 chronic diseases. The ligaments, the ten- 

 dons, and the cartilages have scarce any of 

 the unctuosity left, which rendered them 

 so supple and so pliant in youth. The 

 skin grows wrinkled as well within as 

 without ; in a word, all the solid parts 

 grow dry or bony. 



" One may say that nature has formed 

 chocolate with every virtue proper to 

 remedy these inconveniences. 



44 The volatile sulphur with which it 



