103 
PATHOLOGY, 
imparfaites 5 pour ceux qui font fujets aux aigreurs, et 
cliez qui les fonftions de l’eftomac font aifrfment trou¬ 
bles par la fuperfluite des liquides.” (Tom. iii. p. m.) 
It is fuppofed too, that the rapid drinking of fluid is 
lefs falubrious than gradually fwallowing it, as the for¬ 
mer practice tends to produce dijlenlion of the (lomach ; 
but of this dillention we have no very unequivocal 
proof. 
Of the bad effects of too great a quantity of food we 
have frequent inftances, both in fudden and chronic af¬ 
fections ; and we have every reafon to believe that man¬ 
kind offend in general by taking too much food rather 
than by taking that of an improper quality. A negleft 
of attention to the quantity of the food, proportioned to 
the neceflity of each individual, is fooner or later fol¬ 
lowed by the molt ferious confequences. To the ftrong 
and robuft inflammatory difeafes happen, and all fuch as 
proceed from plenitude, as the gout, apoplexy, See. To 
the more tender and delicate, it is the parent of a nume¬ 
rous progeny of diftempers, affefting both body and 
mind ; there is fcarcely a malady that can be named 
which is not increafed by excefs of food, till the difeafe 
at length bids defiance even to temperanceitfelf, and all 
prefeription. The hozv much, indeed, mull be deter¬ 
mined by every individual ; but thofe who are happy 
enough to abftain at the firli fenfation of fatiety, have 
made great progrefs in the art of maintaining fuch a 
command of appetite, as, under molt chronic indifpofi- 
tions, is one of the great aids of recovery; and, in health, 
is one of thefureft prefervatives againft them. 
To the delicate and valetudinary the confideration of 
the quantity of the food is of frill more importance. 
They do not rife from rich and varied repafls with the 
fame freedom from uneafy fenfations as the robuft ; they 
are affefted with uneafinefs, fome in one way, fome 
in another, by the unnatural load. And we often hear 
them complaining of the ill effefts of this or of that par¬ 
ticular kind of diet, when, perhaps, their fufferings arife 
from the quantity of all, rather than from the difagree- 
ment of any. What renders an attention to the quan¬ 
tity of food in invalids (till more necefiary, is, that they 
are often fubjeft to a falfe appetite ; to a craving that does 
not arife from the demands of health, but from the mor¬ 
bid condition of the juices in the ftomach, which 
prompts them to eat more, and more frequently, than 
nature requires. Hence it happens that fuch people are 
often difpofed to take in much more than can be digefted, 
to devour their food rather than eat it; by which means 
their fufferings are increafed, difeafe gains ground, de¬ 
feats every purpofe of the phyfician, and leads them into 
fome permanent and incurable malady. 
The time of eating is another grand confideration. 
It is well afeertained that a periodical aftion exiftsin the 
different fecreting parts of the body ; and that the fto¬ 
mach afts with different degrees of energy at different 
times, and according to fixed laws, can admit of no dif- 
pute; for not only does its being only required to aft at 
certain times indicate this, but the hunger we feel at the 
hour of repaft, and its abfence after a fliort time if not 
fatisfied, afford further corroboration of it. The cuf- 
toms of various countries changes too in refpeft to time ; 
and, provided the fame periods are obferved each day, 
this does not feem to influence our health in a great de¬ 
gree. Mr. Abernethy ftates the proper interval between 
each meal at fix hours, which reduces the meals to three 
in a day; and this feems to be the moft judicious 
arrangement which can be made, and which has indeed 
been generally adopted among the affluent clafles in this 
country, fupper being for the moft part difearded ; or 
perhaps we fhould rather fay, that the meal of dinner 
has been difearded, and an early fupper fubftituted. 
But two very moderate meals, at a fuitable diftance of 
time, would doubtlefs be digefted with much more eafe 
than one full meal, when the ftomach has been debili¬ 
tated by long falling, and has fuffered fatigue, together 
Vol. XIX. No. 1290. 
with the body at large, from the exertions of a long day. 
So that, as Dr. Fothergill has obferved, “ when people 
affure us they eat no fuppers, from obfervation I am led 
to fufpeft, that it would be better for them if they did, 
than to opprefs nature with a cumbrous load that may 
be much more detrimental.” This, indeed, feems to 
be pretty well underftood with refpeft to invalids and 
convalefcents, who are generally fupplied with fmall 
light meals at proper intervals, rather than have all their 
diet crowded into one late dinner. 
We fhall juft infert a general view of the more com¬ 
mon fubftances ufed at meals, for the purpofe of confult- 
ing the health of thole perfons who, though not ill, find 
the gaflric funftions eafily difturbed. The general 
breakfaft of people, from the higheft to the lowed, is 
tea, coffee, or chocolate. There are, of courfe, many 
exceptions ; fome for one reafon, fome for others, making 
choice of other fubftitutes, as their experience or opi¬ 
nions guide them. To thefearticles, bread of fome kind, 
with more or lefs butter and fugar, is commonly joined 
to make up the meal. From many inconteftible proofs 
that butter in confiderable quantities is injurious to con- 
ftitutions not ftrong, it is fparingly ufed in many families. 
It is found by many to be very difficult of digeltion, ef- 
pecially when toafted before the fire, or fried, as well as 
in fauces. Many people, apparently robuft, and whole 
organs of digeftion are ftrong, often find themfeives 
much difordered by large quantities of butter. Nothing 
more fpeedily and effeftually gives the fick head-ache, 
and fometimes within a very few hours. After breakfaft, 
if much toaft and butter has been ufed, it begins with a 
Angular kind of glimmering in the fight, objefts fwiftly 
changing their apparent pofition; giddinefs then comes 
on, head-ache, and ficknefs. An emetic, and warm 
water, foon walh off the offending matter, and remove 
thefe diforders. Thefe are circitmllances Which very of¬ 
ten happen to people who are inattentive to the quantity 
of butter they eat at breakfaft. A moderate quantity of 
frelh butter, with bread expofed as little to the fire as 
poflible, or not at all, appears to be wholefome, and is 
capable of becoming, with the other aliments, as loft 
and inoffenfive chyle, perhaps, as any part of our diet. 
The fame thing may perhaps be faid of coffee as of tea; 
the heat, the ftrength, and the quantity, make it un- 
wholefome or otherwife. There are nations who alrnoft 
live upon coffee, as others do on tea; and among neither 
are any difeafes prevalent that can juftly be aferibeu to 
thefe ingredients in the common courfe of living. There 
are, however, individuals of peculiar conftitution, in 
whom the Indian tea excites various unpleafant fymp- 
toms, as head-ache, rellleffnefs, &c. and feveral Britilh 
plants have been recommended as fubftitutes, and ufed 
with advantage. But Dr. Reid, in his Effuy on Hypo- 
chondriafis, fays, “ I am inclined to think that there are 
many cafes in which a tafte for tea ought to be encou¬ 
raged rather than condemned. This tafte has a tendency 
to preclude the more prevalent, and after all more mif- 
chievous, propenfity for vinous ftimulation. Many per¬ 
fons, diftinguilhed lor their longevity, have been known 
to indulge habitually in the ule of tea; which we may 
account for, not from its being in itfelf a wholefome beve¬ 
rage, but from afondnefs for it generally implying a dif- 
talte for potations of a much more decidedly pernicious 
nature. Tea will produce, in fome very irritable frames, 
an artificial (late refembling intoxication ; but it is a 
cloudlefs inebrity. Tea removes the film from an eye 
that has been obl'cured by a grofs and ftupifying intem¬ 
perance, and tends to improve a fufeeptibiiity to the true 
relifh of focial and intelleftual enjoyment.” It (hould 
be recollefted, however, that every vegetable infufion of 
this fort, is but warm water, rendered more palatable by 
the aroma of the herbs fo infufed ; and that there is little 
or no nutriment conveyed by them to the body, except 
what is contained in the fmall portion of milk and fugar 
added to them. Thefe liquors, then, (hould be conii- 
E e dered 
