An admirable epitome of what might be called "advanced health culture without crankiness." The author is an ardent advocate of simplicity in all things and--practises what he preaches. Moreover, he is one of those who sees health from all points of view: he is as much concerned with what the English Bible calls "a right spirit" as with a fit body and a responsive mind. It is a little book deserving of a wide circulation.

CORRESPONDENCE.

A REMEDY FOR SLEEPLESSNESS.

To the Editors

SIRS,

Would you care to publish the following experience of a cure for sleeplessness:--

I had no difficulty in going to sleep, but usually awoke again at about two A.M. with palpitation, and it often took me two or three hours to go to sleep again.

I cured myself in the following way: I left off supper and reduced my tea meal by half, and the result was continuous sleep; the symptoms, however, began to come back again after a time, so I gradually cut the tea meal right away, and half of the midday meal as well. The cure was then permanent and after a time I found that I could resume the tea meal again. At the present time I am having a tea meal of fruit only.

In addition I should advise those who suffer from this complaint to keep cheerful, and to avoid excessive physical or mental fatigue and worry. Yours faithfully,

"A SIX MONTHS' READER."

IS PURE LIME JUICE OBTAINABLE?

The Editors have received the following letter from Messrs Rowntree & Co., Ltd.:--

"We note in your issue of July 1913 under the heading of 'Lemon or Orange Squash' a note to the effect that bottled lemon squashes and lime cordials 'are not pure in the strict sense of the term, since they are bound to contain 10 per cent. alcoholic pure spirit by Government regulations.' We should be glad to know what is your authority for this statement. Possibly it is a misprint, because obviously the Government does not require anything of the kind. Our own lemon squash and lime juice cordial are entirely free from any form of preservative, including alcohol. They are made up from pure lemon juice and lime juice respectively, with sugar, and contain no foreign ingredient."

The statement complained of was based on an article ent.i.tled "Fortified Lime Juice" which appeared in _The Chemist and Druggist_, 13th May 1911 (page 51). On again referring to this article we find that the Government regulation applies only to _exported_ Lime Juice.

We regret having made this error, and are genuinely glad to have Messrs Rowntree's a.s.surance that their own "Lime Juice Cordial" and "Lemon Squash" are "entirely free from any form of preservative, including alcohol."

Nevertheless, we think our suspicions regarding the presence of preservatives in such articles are justifiable in view of the following authoritative statements made by _The Chemist and Druggist_ in the article referred to:--

"The British Revenue authorities have drawn the line a little tighter in the discharge of their responsibility respecting the soundness of lime-juice intended for exportation or for use on board ship. The new rule henceforth is to grant a 'pa.s.s'

certificate for unfortified lime-juice to last for fourteen days only, at the end of which time another certificate must be obtained. As this new regulation affects lime-juice in its natural condition before rum or any other spirit is added to it, only lime-juice manufacturers or importers are concerned in the matter.... _With such rapidly deteriorating liquid as lime or lemon juice the addition of the preservative spirit is a necessity, hence the sooner it is fortified the better._ The Revenue authorities permit duty-free spirit to be used for this purpose, but in order that lime-juice manufacturers shall have this advantage of not paying duty on the spirit used the Revenue authorities insist on approval of the juice and its subsequent fortification in bond under supervision of the Crown.... In reference to the proportion of spirit used, previously the regulation was expressed in a permissive sense, but now the emphatic "must" is used. In the last Government Laboratory report it was stated that 396 samples were examined, most of which were lime-juice, representing nearly 50,000 gallons. Even the fortified article is re-tested if more than three months old in cask or two years old in bottle, and this re-testing resulted last year in a condemnation of several hundred gallons owing to deterioration during storage. This juice is princ.i.p.ally for use in the Mercantile Marine to combat scurvy."

From which it would appear that the use of _some_ kind of preservative is essential with such a rapidly deteriorating liquid as lime or lemon juice; and if not alcohol, there are innumerable chemical preservatives available. We wish we could rely on receiving a.s.surances from other "Lime Juice" importers and manufacturers similar to that we have received from Messrs Rowntree.

* * * * *

_To People with Strong Convictions:_

A holiday is the best of all opportunities for appreciating the opposite point of view to our own: this is why everyone needs a day's holiday once a week.

HEALTH QUERIES.

_Under this heading our contributor, Dr Valentine Knaggs, deals briefly month by month, and according as s.p.a.ce permits, with questions of general interest to health seekers and others._

_In all Queries relating to health difficulties it is essential that full details of the correspondent's customary diet should be clearly given._

_Correspondents are earnestly requested to write on _one side only of the paper_, giving full name and address, not for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. When an answer is required by post a stamped addressed envelope must be enclosed._--[EDS.]

FAULTY FOOD COMBINATIONS.

H.E.H. writes.--I should like your opinion of the statement of the late Mr A. Broadbent, that fruit when taken with starchy food by dyspeptics delays digestion, and that the digestion of starchy foods and vegetables occupied only one-third of the time needed for the digestion of starch with fruit. I have lived on a strict vegetarian diet and observed the laws of hygiene for two and a half years, to rid myself of dyspepsia, with great success, having increased my weight by thirty-six pounds; for the last nine months of this time I have lived on a largely "unfired"

diet, but am still troubled with acid risings and flatulence and cannot account for it. Will you kindly enlighten me on the subject?

I am a carpenter by trade and get eight hours in the open air every day. I take a tumbler of distilled water hot with the juice of one orange at 6 A.M., breakfast at 7.30 A.M., dinner at 12 noon and tea at 6 P.M., all consisting of Wallace unfermented bread and biscuits, various fruits (mostly apples, bananas and tomatoes) and nuts, about 1/2oz. at a meal; also a little cheese, about 1 oz. at a meal.

The late Mr A. Broadbent was quite right, in my opinion, when he a.s.serted that fruit taken with starchy foods delayed digestion.

To reap the true benefit from fruit it must be taken alone.

The dominant element in fruit is oxygen and the feature of oxygen is its power to start the process of oxidation in decomposing and disintegrating substances. It follows that when the stomach is filled with fermenting food-stuffs, or the tissues are clogged with the products derived from such, the oxidising action of fruit will be correspondingly intense.

The Naturist who applies the Schroth Cure for the purpose of curing chronic diseases uses fruit as his chief eliminating agent. The reader will remember that the peasant healer, Schroth, made his patients take dry stale rolls alone for three whole days, with nothing whatever to drink, and on the fourth day, he gave them a full bottle of white wine, which then caused intense oxidation, with marked elimination of poisons. His methods, if successful, were drastic and weakening, and so the latter-day exponents of Schrothism have modified this and give their patients zweiback or twice-baked bread instead of rolls, and on the third or fourth day make the patient partake freely of fresh fruit. This process of alternate dry days and fluid days is continued for some weeks until the cure is complete.

I have merely referred to this matter to show the part played by fruit in the body. To a healthy person fruit is in truth a splendid regenerating food, but it should, whenever possible, be eaten alone.

To a dyspeptic, fruit is often equally good, if _taken by itself_.

The case of vegetables is different, and I hold with Broadbent that salad or properly cooked vegetables do go well with cereals, because they contain, not oxygen and oxygen acids, but mineral elements like soda, lime and magnesia, which neutralise the acids and toxins which form in the body as a result of its work. The vegetable is just as active as the fruit as an eliminant, but it works on different lines.

Cereal foods, if eaten slowly in a dry condition are made alkaline by the saliva, so that the vegetables, which are also naturally alkaline, would harmonise well with cereals if eaten with them.

Our correspondent should modify his diet as follows, and then, I antic.i.p.ate, he will cease to be troubled with his acid dyspepsia and flatulence. He should take his fruit alone, and take any of the crisp unsweetened Wallace "P.R." Biscuits in preference to the unfermented bread, which latter is often difficult to digest:--

_On rising._--A tumblerful of hot distilled water.

_Breakfast_ (at 7.30).--Fresh fruit only.

_Lunch_ (at 12).--1 to 2 oz. of cheese, preferably home-made curd cheese; salad of green leaf vegetables; "P.R." or Ixion biscuits with fresh b.u.t.ter, or nut b.u.t.ter.

_Dinner_ (at 6).--1 to 2 oz. of flaked pine kernels, finely grated raw roots or tomatoes, with pure olive oil; Granose biscuits, or Shredded Wheat biscuits, and fresh b.u.t.ter.

_At bedtime._--Cupful of dandelion coffee or hot distilled water.

NEURITIS.

E.M.A. writes.--At the age of five years I had an attack of rheumatic fever through taking a severe cold, and have been troubled more or less with pains since that time, which I feel sure are caused through rheumatism of the nerves. I am now fifty-eight years of age and have been a vegetarian for six years.

My diet is:--8 A.M., cup of Sanum Tonic Tea; 9 A.M., Cup of dried milk; 10 A.M., half of an apple and a little crust of wholemeal bread; 1 P.M. conservatively cooked vegetable, using "Emprote"