The philosophy of eating. By Albert J. Bellows, M.D.

242

-VINEGAR.

into the system as a principle to supply any organ with
nutrition, or to furnish heat; but only as a chemical
agent, to combine with the alkalies evolved from the
liver and other excretory organs, to eliminate these effete
elements from the system, and thus purify the blood
and cleanse the system from the impurities which would
otherwise remain in it. Vinegar, therefore, is merely
a chemical agent, and, as such, useful in the absence of
natural, organized acids, and not a nutritive principle;
but alcohol is neither a chemical agent in the system nor
a nutritive principle-the one being useful is received,
if taken in proper quantities, without exciting the system to reject it, while the other, having no useful purpose to subserve, produces an excitement, and is expelled
as an intruder. Still, vinegar is not an organized element, and not harmless.
Vinegar, therefore, is not necessary, and not useful
as a beverage or a condiment, except in cases where
the organized acids are not to be obtained, and cannot
take the place of them either as a preventive or curer
of disease. The liberal use of lemon juice, or tomatoes,
or any other organized acid fruits will prevent the scurvy for an indefinite period, as has been proved on sailors
in very long voyages; but we have abundant testimony
that on similar voyages the liberal use of vinegar will
not prevent this terrible disease. These experiments
show that vinegar is not the form of acid naturally
adapted to the requirements of the system, and that it
should only be used when the acid fruits and succulent
vegetables cannot be obtained.