THE NECESSITY OF A NATIONAL DIETETIC REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 550, 3 July 1909, Page 3

THE NECESSITY OF A NATIONAL DIETETIC REFORM.

Sir,—The lotter you in your ' issue of June 12 regarding "The Cauaation and Curo of Cancer" brought a ictponee from Hntt and another from Nelson: With the former ,came a recent and most valuable book by the Hon. Eollo Russell, entitled "The Reduction of Cancer" (Longmoro. Green and Co.). The writer has made a hoi Id-tour of investigation and brought home a mass of evidence that fully accords with, and corroborates, the views of Dr. llobert Bell. ILD,, m his brochure, "The Cancer Problem in a Nutshell." Grant mo space, please, to givo a resume of - Kollo Kussoll's publication, and I will refer ' to my Nelson correspondent in a future'isBUO. It might be entitled more correctly, "Diet in Relation to Cancer," for it brings' a' 6tnking array of stubborn ell ooaverg-; ing in this oonirai Dositun. na- thai the

rapid increase-of cancer, during the last half century,or more synchroniseswith,- and isatr tributabk to, the increase •in the consumption;:more or less excessive, of certain forms' of -food, -and that unless. there be a: general dietetic reform';these food-babits arid/indulgences will lead-7-are indeed now 1 national I ;decay. l l • may-here say nomention is made of vaccina-' tipn asa cause, for at present it remain's .unsuspected, '.except by anti-vacciriists, who hold that, the .evidence of. probability amounts -to certainty.'V-;.;.;.'V:' ■ ;..•.',■.-.''■.): ;,.'■■ ■-,',':''.:■:.. ■■■■■' "■ ' That the foarful increase of cancer mortality .'must Ijave general andwidespread cause or. dauses is an -unavoidable 'inference : from ■ official inedical Toports, as, for inetance, rroni the Public, Health Report of- New-Zealand fdr. : the >yoar' 1907-8 (yide your, issue of, May, I),\and which, drew.;from Dr. Mason,; Chief: Medical Officer, the confeesion:. "It 1 is a most alarming matter." Nor can it bo any conr Eolation .that'this .same. ..peril.:shadows : with, raryirig hue .the-whole civilised world... But j to thebook and in brief: '•■■;■'• ,v ,','j : '.. ■■';-.. V'.l.'- , Wild animals living on their natural foodare almost: entirely free from cancer,- ■ and from' mMiy.othef diseases;j-bot'. , -' if domesti-, bal/ed and ;fed, especially upcmjlosh .and ] garbage,:.;are; liable \to tnanj' r .',diseases..arid occa-; , stonally. cancerv A butcher reported that' 60 per oent;' of ;etall-fed. cattle had cancerous 'livers."V;;;:;, / ;; ■';■ '; ■■;;. :■/•■.[■■.;■.'' ' ': ; .V.'.';-"'' • ; 2. 1 The saine: rule, holds good'in the human race.,: When' living on plant producte,. with little or no stimulant or narcotics,: are free from'cancer, or rarely affected, as, e.g., Chinese in country parts, Syrians', Persiana, Arabians, Siairioso, Burmese/some of the Japanese peasantry, : , people oi. New Guinea, and races, of' Africa, Guatemalans,' people of: Tunis, Morocco, Mauritiiisi Turkey (country), Iridiarisi, of Mexico, aborigines of Gold Coast, Ashant^'Queensland, and other places.; , ■ ' .3. :Ori toeother hand, the'people"of civil-' ised lands,-.'not' necessarily cultivated, indulging in ce"rtain luxuries, have a .very high rate, of cancer. s ;;■:;. ,-•■, ■■■'■'.'•- \ ' ■'■■ '.'. .',..■■"..;./\'. 4. What;are those luxuricef.'jn the main: Tea,'coffee; beer, animal flesh; tobacco, and other Btinrolante and narcotics. Where, the fare is bread,; pork or otherl. meat, .much strong'tea, sweets,-coffee in large quahtityV with little-bread,.there will 'also be muph csano^r; . The chief factor is the'tea aad!coffee, bet : jexoess::in animal food, hard '. cheese, street things^.''especially Rafter pre-' oolp, 'io ;wiei diseas?/ This mieuse. or. ; exceßsive';use of unfit'foods involves the. disuse of ; specially beneficial.foods, such, as .oatmeal; ..corn; fruit, and', water;; •:. The: salrrary;. glands, • too, are impatred.' by toxic liquids.-'. All'-ingesta, not redly] .nutritipus, and; coritainkig stiorig poison which .plcaeWntly destructive luxuries! .. ' ; '5. Then-is , given the'death-rate , , of natioris; and! the percentage consumption of the aforesaid' luxuries. 'From an • assemblage" of facts; take: the following:—The -seven largest co'n-;suoiers-of.'coffee;have.-the'highest-rate .of caricer, yriifi: Holland, Denmark,] :■ Ndrway;Sweden',' ;<;Belgium, v Bavaria, ;. Switzerland. , .Vice versa,; countries using .least 'coffee-and foods of'luxury have; the lowest, abstinence .from, .some ;.of:, the said; and '.the cancpr mortality.'; is moderate.'.'' Abstinence' frbm/all stimularits; narcotics, and'irritants produce low: 'rate,' .or apparent. ; immunity;. :Of,laTge.towns,:Copenbagei arid Munich had the largest cancer rate in >the.last tin: years. Both are extremely large 'consumers! of beer, and'boffee, and .flesh meat! .These,' and simi-lar-facts;/form"presumptive; evidence that Lcihcer, to, a great extent, .depends juppn ! a l.poisonous.ingredietit.' iii/.the artieles'jnanied.' Flesh/' though7not;a poison,',forms poisdriovls imattorl in the body' '.when .used ;in' excess,' and'ioffen -even. in. moderation;;;: There: is !;no ■ surer -way' to. :health than of IflesH; 'toxjo, , -drinks, 'and top'. abundant eweets .froni/ the,diet; This a'ceprde with the nature of, ;!;inan,!: aSr; stated jr :byr : 'igreat ■physiologists, -such' as Cuvier, "Sir Charles ; Bell,, Giisscridi, ■. and Ray' to be .fitted' for. -a diet ..derived 'from .plants, 'and• 'riot .from |:beasts,:i/ I^'.--/i"/;;'//(:.;{■;'■ v , -,".- '. '.'.\ - '6; So in districts; , e'.g;, -. J?iji,, ] British Guiana, North .America',;.the 1 '; natives'Aare free, but,the .Europeans suffqr from' cancer; Among ■ black' •'-TacesV-who.V are / Vegetarians; cancer is not found, yet among Arabiancu So; in' 'Hong-Kdng ) "l/agosi"'' Thibet",' Abyssinia, :•; -; Algiers, and , Buenos'" Ay res— ! iri all;;'the'conditionof; exemption '.is plain',/n'i- .•■■'■/: '•/■■"';'-.' '■!'': !,W ; '.:'- ;.7.; Turning; to 'Europe,'America;-and/Aua-traha,' the 'growth. of." caricer- 'synchrbniset with.;, the- 'Jncrease of. -the'.'.'aforesaid luxuries, that is; •:during;'-:-"tte : . 50 or ; -60.'.'odd> years; • arid .statistics 'axe given" in .proof;';. ii vß. ; .The'saine;test..'is"then applied to'classes ,iUrvarious;;'districts in .Ireland arid North Jews,'.to butchers/sweeps,- coriimercial travellers,, beer, and;,non-beer;.'drink-the cities ;of 'Munich-Stuttgart,: and ; (SpSaihageri.',;.,., "■ ;fv : '- : :i' 1 i^v/^-v- , '■'fr"-' 'i':\ '•■ in the great; majority, of 'cases., .the primary seati of' the disease'is' in ■ the' stomach'; arid neighbouring -parts, ■ and in the mbuth-rthat • many cases ' occur, '-in Vrheumatio' subjects (rheumatism/held/to;■-\be; a Stoiio"-. product), that,luxurious eaters: arid; the ; over : nourished a>e;;mosi>"liaUe.',.ip/ , onormous incrDase in the:consumption' of ;al- ; to ; the .slow, .'insidions';' unrecognised ;effects ..of ,tca;and coffee; 'as testified by., many .medical arid other 'writers,' to' the fact that : : malignant:; tumours, though' tfipf' may-be irrithtioni a;e mpre/hkely/to be/carised/by internal- toxic irritants.; to enormous 'increase in ,"the consumption.of; fleshi- sugar, , , potted- meats' condiments, ■ etc.,-- showing that : the - average is excessive;:to'\the .unconscious''formation of toxic food habits'; and to the vast increase ,from these same causes of operations for tumours, of the provalenco \of indigestion nervous diseases, insanity— most vapid among the most luxurious, whilst among frugal institutions, as the Trappest Monastry, no case ocenrred either of cancer, apoplexy 1 E ° nt » or epidemic/for 27 years These ; and many other facts, point ("as many lines closo in tho dial's centre") to the necessity of a national dietetic reform that would gradually reduce this dread malady, and give the hope that some future time a reasonable' frugality may be followed by immunity from this and manv other maladies Do you ask, docs New Zealand come in? It comes in among the highly civilised, and only a littlp below tho highest cancer rate!—l am, etc , ,„v .j ' * EDWIN COX. Cambridge, Juno 28, ftC9