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KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



EATING AND DRINKING,- 

 A WORD TO THE WISE. 



"SEASONABLE CURIO SIITES* ' 

 IN THE ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE WORLDS. 



July is a tempting month to all who love to 

 indulge in the good things of this life. But — be 

 it borne in mind, the stomach, as we have else- 

 where shown, cannot be offended with impunity. 

 If over-loaded, it will kick ; if cruelly treated, it 

 will have its revenge. A word just now to the 

 summer traveller may not be out of place. 



The chief cause of most of the diseases to which 

 the human body is subject, is a superabundant 

 acid in the stomach ; and that superabundance of 

 acid is occasioned by overloading the stomach 

 with food or drink. For the stomach can digest 

 only a certain portion of food in a given time, 

 namely, that which is in contact with its sides. 

 All the rest must wait its turn ; consequently, if 

 the stomach be over-loaded, the superabundant 

 food will ferment and generate an acid ; and the 

 portion of food thus fermented and converted into 

 acid, when it comes, in its turn, to be spread over 

 the sides of the stomach, for the purpose of being 

 converted into chyle — frets and irritates the 

 stomach by the acrid and corrosive qualities. This 

 very often produces inflammation more or less 

 violent, which is indicated either by heartburn, 

 eructation, stomach-ache, or some other distressing 

 sensation. 



Nor is this the whole of the injury. If the 

 effect of the acid be not arrested, all the organs 

 which sympathise with the stomach partake of 

 the distress, in proportion to their previous consti- 

 tutional strength or debility. Numerous instances 

 occur in medical annals, of death having been oc- 

 casioned by inordinate eating. Sir Everard Home 

 mentions an instance of a child losing its life from 

 eating too large a quantity of apple-pudding. Mor- 

 gagni relates an account of a like fate happening 

 to a woman from eating too large a quantity of 

 onions preserved in salt and vinegar. And Bon- 

 netus, in his Sepulchrum, states the case of a 

 boy who died in three hours from eating immode- 

 rately of grapes. In each case, the stomach, when 

 opened, was quite tense, and, consequently, its 

 powers of action perfectly paralysed. 



Let us here put in a good word for Straw- 

 berries. Of all fruits, they are the most innocent. 

 Indeed, they deserve all the good things that can 

 be said of them. They are beautiful to look at, 

 delicious to eat, have a fine odor; and are so whole- 

 some, that they are said to agree with the weak- 

 est digestions. It is recorded of Fontenelle, that 

 he attributed his longevity to them, in conse- 

 quence of their having regularly cooled a fever 

 which he had every spring ; and that he used to 

 say, "If I can but reach the season of straw- 

 berries !" Boerhaave looked upon their continued 

 use as one of the principal remedies in cases of 

 obstruction and viscidity.; and in putrid disorders. 

 Hoffmann furnished instances of obstinate disor- 

 ders cured by them, even consumptions ; and Lin- 

 naeus says that by eating plentifully of them, he 

 kept himself free from the gout. They are good 

 even for the teeth. 



As regards summer diet generally, the lighter 

 the food the better. Avoid all condiments ; study 

 simplicity ; let pure spring water be your " nectar," 

 and live in the open air. 



We have now arrived at the precise time 

 of year, when it becomes fashionable for 

 papers to record not only what does happen, 

 but, more particularly ,what does not happen. 

 The consequence is, a hearty laugh got up at 

 the expense of truth. But we really must 

 tire a shot at the offenders. 



With regard to animals and their instincts, 

 birds, insects, &c, the marvels now publish- 

 ing are indeed " remarkable." The principal 

 " observers" of these matters are the Scotch 

 papers, and other of our northern neigh- 

 bors. Already we have seen particulars of a 

 Sturgeon weighing 753flbs. Also, of some as- 

 tonishingly-large pike (one weighing 1031bs.), 

 &c. Our" old friend, " the cauliflower," has 

 again been chronicled. His size, this year, 

 is even more colossal than usual. He mea- 

 sures now, ten feet around the waist, and 

 has grown to the height of eight feet, six- 

 inches. We are looking anxiously for our other 

 friends, the gigantic gooseberries ; and those 

 extraordinary birds and animals which choose 

 such extraordinary situations for their nests 

 and summer residences. These, however, 

 are appearing one by one. Several " plants " 

 have been made upon us, to give insertion 

 to these imaginary wonders, — but we are 

 proof against every kind offer of the sort. 



The three papers most distinguished for 

 these before unheard-of marvels of nature, 

 are — the Dumfries Courier, the North British 

 Daily Mail, and our own Morning Herald. 

 There are many others ; but these " do" the 

 ' heavy ' work. As the last-named paper 

 comes daily before the London public, it 

 will speak for itself. Meantime, let us prove 

 our case as regards the other two. We do 

 so at random — having left lots of other curi- 

 osities imbedded in their printed columns. ^ 



We must, of course, give the Dumfries 

 Courier precedence ; and two specimens 

 shall suffice. The first extract tells of the 

 doings of a pair of starlings, "on matrimonial 

 thoughts intent :" — 



Our readers, says the wag, are familiar 

 with the tall signal posts at railway sta- 

 tions, on which large balls are run by pulleys 

 and cords, to intimate, by their being lowered or 

 elevated, when the way is, or is not, clear for a 

 coming train. One of these balls at the signal 

 post on the Ardrossan line, near Kilwinning, lately 

 attracted the notice of a couple of starlings on 

 matrimonial thoughts intent. With much labor 

 they forced their way into the centre, and pro- 

 ceeded, despite all interruptions, to construct a 

 nest. The ball has to be lowered and elevated 

 14 times a day ; but this did not interfere- with 

 the proceedings of the happy pair, and in due 

 time four eggs were deposited in the moveable 

 nest. Our last despatch informs us that the female 

 is still sitting closely, quite undisturbed by the 



