"Doctor, I cannot remember a time when I did not hear about the healthfulness of fruit, and yet it is claimed that it often makes people ill."

"Yes; the people believe that fruit eating is conducive to health, and the whole race, it seems, has been disposed to follow Adam who ate the apple against the commandment."

If Fruit Be So Healthful Why Don't Those Who Are Ailing (And That Includes A Large Per Cent Of The People) Eat It And Get Well?

"Your question assumes a great deal, and is therefore hard to answer. Probably the difficulty is in being able to determine the proper use of fruit."

"It seems strange that the learned doctors of the world should not have found this out in several thousand years."

"That is not so strange after all; for it should be borne in mind that very few persons in any profession make any extensive original investigations, and it is only due to the modern achievements in chemistry, which enable us to analyze the secretions and excretions of the body with the digestive processes, that has thrown any light on the uses of fruit."

"I was under the impression that a good many theories had been advanced why fruits were particularly beneficial in promoting health and curing disease."

"So there have. It has been urged by writers on diet that fruits assisted in burning up the starches, and in the production of heat; by others that it was the mineral salts that made them valuable. These are not all the theories, for they have been numerous."

Is There No Truth In These Theories?

"As to the first it is the opposite of truth, because acids and starches are entirely incompatible, so that fruits containing acids cannot help the digestion of starch, sugars or fats; neither does it directly help their absorption or the process of burning them up."

It Is Generally Believed That Fruits Are Laxative. There Must Be Some Truth In This?

"Well, not all of them at least."

"Then according to your views no correct explanation as to the use of fruits has ever been made."

"No; the proper uses of fruits are still unknown to the laity, and only partially known to the medical profession, but as no satisfactory explanation has been given for their use, it is not clear when they art useful and when likely to be injurious. Their palatability has probably caused their popularity to a greater extent than their efficacy in a medicinal way."

"Then that accounts for the fact that their use sometimes does harm, while at other times seems to be just what the system required."

"It is this way; whenever we guess at a thing we are strongly indorsing the apple?" more liable to be wrong than right, although we may happen to know something about it."

"Then, 'Doctor, if you have found out all the uses of fruits, you can. do a great deal toward enlightening the world."

"I can hardly make a claim of that kind, and I didn't mean that I had learned all there is to be known on the subject. My remark was more in the nature of a lament, because so little was really known."

At Any Rate, Doctor, You Have My Curiosity Aroused To A High Pitch To Know What You Regard As The Principal Uses Of Fruit?

"Well, in discussing the question of digestion, I told you that the entire digestive tract from the mouth downward was lined with a soft membrane, called mucous membrane. Now, the one great, fundamental use of fruits is to cleanse the mucous membrane."

Then All The Other Uses Are Secondary To This?

"I would hardly put it in that way, but rather say that the benefits usually ascribed to fruits were incidental to the cleansing of this mucous membrane."

"That is not very clear."

"Then I will explain."

"One of the effects said to be due to fruit eating is that it is laxative."

Then How Does That Result From The Cleansing Of The Membrane?

"When the membranes are cleansed the secretions are better able to perform their functions, and besides that, it causes food and detritus and mucus to be removed."

How Does It Do That?

'the fruit acts on the membranes, probably killing the bacteria, and when that happens, they naturally pass away. Then it acts in another way. It increases the specific gravity of the urine, i. e., the weight, which makes it possible for it to carry away more of the solids of the body waste."

Then The Removal Of Effete Tissue, Mucus And Excess Of Nitrogenous Foods Not Used In The System, Is Helped By Increasing The Weight Of The Urine?

"Yes; by increasing the eliminating capacity of the kidneys."

Can You Demonstrate What You Have Said About The Effect Of Acids?

"Yes; you can do that in part for yourself."

"I should like to try."

"Take a lemon and suck the juice and allow it to come in contact with as much of the membranes of the mouth and throat as possible. If there is any accumulation of mucus, that the acid touches, it will be removed."

"I have often done that, but I never thought of that as being the chief action of fruits, but I can readily believe from my own experience that what you say is true."

"Yes it is true, and I have demonstrated the other fact so often that I can positively say that fruits increase the specific gravity of the urine."

To What Is Its Action Due?

"Partly due, no doubt, to its power to destroy bacteria and partly to the fact that the acids by contact with mucous membranes stimulate them to activity. Anyone with a coated tongue who will eat something like sour apples or lemons will have the coating quickly removed.

Then Under What Conditions Are Fruits Beneficial?

"Whenever there is torpidity of liver or congestion with mucous secretions and whenever there is excessive alkaline fermentation in the bowels." (See diseases of liver and intestines.)

When Are Fruits Harmful?

"Whenever there is an excessive acid condition of the stomach, intestines and urine."