Doctor, Fish Is Ordinarily Considered A Much Lighter Diet Than Meat; Is There Good Reason For This Belief?

"Well, there is an occasional person with whom fish does not agree, although fish is far less objectionable as an article of diet than meat."

On What Ground?

"Because fish is much more easily digested - their fiber is shorter. They contain ordinarily only a small per cent of fat, a considerable amount of phosphorus, and do not produce the many ill effects resulting from uric acid tendencies common to an ordinary meat diet."

How Does Fish Compare With Beef Or Pork?

"Fresh fish has about the same amount of tissue-forming substance as good steak, but ordinarily not more than half as much fat."

Then You Strongly Recommend Fish As An Article Of Diet In Place Of Meat?

"It would be far better for meat eaters if they ate less beef and pork, and more fish."

Are There Any Diseases In Which Fish Have Particular Value As Food?

"Yes; in diseases of the kidneys, such as Bright's disease; also in gout and other diseases."

How Should Fish Be Cooked?

"Broiled or baked. It is just as objectionable to fry fish as any other kind of meat."

Are There Any People Who Eat Reptiles?

"None but savage races, although the Europeans and Americans and other races are fond of turtles, which really belong to the general class of reptiles."

Is The Turtle A Good Article Of Food?

"It is very similar in composition to chicken, only the oil and the flavoring matter is more pronounced, and for those who like turtles, this is probably the reason why they prefer the turtle to most other kinds of meat."

Are There No Other Kinds Of Food That Should Be Classed With Meats?

"Yes, there is probably no food in any class that is so universally liked as oysters. As the Irishman facetiously remarked, 'the oyster is the favorite American bird.'"

Why Is This?

"Doubtless because of the richness of its flavor. There is nothing extraordinary about it otherwise."

"Some people believe oysters Jo be very nutritious."

"Pound for pound, they are only about half as nutritious as beefsteak, and not more digestible, unless eaten raw.

Why Better Raw Than Cooked?

"For this reason: When an oyster is stewed a portion of It becomes quite tough; instead of being easily digested, it is difficult."

Are They Not Better When Roasted?

"If they can be roasted in the shell and only fightly cooked, they should be almost as digestible as when eaten raw."

To What Class Of Foods Do They Belong?

"Tissue-formers. They furnish very little fat or fuel for the body and should only be eaten with bread, potatoes, or cereals of some kind."

How Should They Be Cooked?

"Roasting is preferable. If not convenient to roast, they may either be baked or stewed, but never fried."

What About Eating Them With Various Kinds Of Pickles?

"The pickles would be very likely to disagree if the oysters did not. If anything sour is desired, they should be eaten with lemon juice."

"I have heard of cases of poisoning by oysters."

"Yes. that sometimes happens when the water around the oyster bed has been contaminated. They have been known to cause an epidemic of typhoid fever, but they are not so likely to cause disorders of digestion as the lobster, or crab. Shell fish are scavengers, and many urge that their use be discontinued because of the many cases of poisoning produced by their use."

The Lobster Is The Most Likely To Produce Illness?

"Yes, lobsters are more likely to disagree with weak stomachs and cause violent attacks of indigestion than almost any other food. All shell-fish, and other fish too, for that matter, seem to be particularly bad when tainted with decay, so that there is hardy any substance which we could eat, more likely to poison than tainted fish, whether it be canned salmon, oysters, lobsters, or any kind of fish whatever. Everything in the way of fish is better if used fresh. They should be carefully kept in ice in warm weather."

Doctor, I Suppose You Will Attack The Egg With Great Vigor, And Probably Shell It Out Of Its House And Home?

"You have hit it eggsactly," said the doctor, "although at times it takes a great deal of courage to face it."

"Well, Doctor, I like to face them if fried with good ham."

"Ham and eggs is a favorite combination, but a prolific source of dyspepsia."

"I thought eggs were the easiest of all foods to digest."

"Yes, that is the general belief. A raw egg is, but a fried one belongs to the class of never or forever."'

Why Are Fried Eggs So Bad?

"Because every bit of heat that is applied to an egg makes it harder, and when it is fried for a time, it is very much like leather. Then if to this condition fat be added until it is thoroughly saturated, it becomes as difficult to digest as hard fried ham, and the two together are enough to send anybody to the doctor."

I Have Always Understood That The Egg Was Very Nutritious?

"So it is, but it has been overestimated by a great many people. It furnishes all the necessary elements for the life of a chick, and has therefore all that is necessary to support the life of an individual."

Then Eggs Ought To Be One Of The Most Useful Of All The Articles Of Diet?

"Yes, they are useful; at the same time, there are some objections to them."

What Are They?

"They contain almost the smallest amount of waste matter of any food, and are therefore constipating. A great many people dare not eat them on this account."

Is There No Way Of Overcoming This Difficulty?

"There is no way of changing the egg. The only thing that can be done is to eat them in small quantities, say one at a time with food containing a large amount of waste matter, such as the cereals with part of their bran, or with coarse vegetables."

"Doctor, I have often known people who were told not to eat meat, and they thought they were not disobeying when they ate eggs."

"In that case, they kept the letter of the command, but not the spirit, for practically eggs are the same as meat."