Our Babies.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 4 August 1922, Page 1

Our Babies.

(By Hygem)

MASSACHUSETTS ■DEPARTMENT OE HRAI/PH. 'The Deporement of Health Commonwealth of Mat-sachusetts has been issuing bulletins on Health matters lor nimiy years. A parcel has just arrived whicn contains several small pamphlets by the, Health Instructor in Ecods to tiie Department. \Ve shall give the a>rtiole on Digestion practically intact, as it is very instructive, and should help one to realise more clearly what digestion means and why the digestive organs should have certain periods of rest. SIMPLE PACTS ABOUT DIGESTION. What happens to food after it is eaten? It is taken into the body in many forms, in varying amounts ;md combinations, and orten at irregular times,-■ with little or no thought of its real function.

—Three Meals a Day.— From long established' habit food isserved ■at three definite! periods during the day. Many, however, thinking or it only as 'a means'of gratifying their ;iaste, or satisfying their hunger, eat at those times only the foods they like. And many, not because they are really hungry, but because the food appeals to them, nibble at sweets whenever eke they like. Then they forget all about the matter, unless their babies rebel at gome indiscretion on their part and compel their attention by treating them to; a case of indigestion. If one continues in this heedless fashion serious result? may follow. —The Function of Food. — The function of food is to form new - tissues, repair waste, supply heat, and' give : the body the power to do work. And just as it is definitely divided into different groups, each having its own special duty to perforin, so, also, is special provision made in the body to take care of this food andprepare it for its body function. —A Delicately Organised Machine.— - In considering this question wc might think, of the digestive system of the body as a delicately organised machine composed of four separate compartments, each of which has a highlytrained body of servants, called enzymes, to transform the food materials sent to -them into substance that can be utilised by the body. This changing process is called digestion. And, while the external work performed by the body varies according to the will'of its owner, the way it is done is greatly influenced by the manner in which the machine is provided with food. —The Servants. — The owner has no power in the selection of his servants, the enzymes. They are a part or the machine, and for the most part he has no control over their movements. But he can and should obxain complete information regarding their treatment, and yfindj out what he can do to make it possible for them io give hun their best service. These servants are specialists; they can do only certain kinds of work, and do well only certain amounts. They should have definite hours of work and rest, and should not be asked to work overtime, nor during rest periods. Neither should they be asked to undertake tasks unfitted for them. If such precautions are not heeded they will refuse to work altogether, .or will perform their duties in u very inefficient manner. —The First Compartment.— The Mouth. —Although the owner of this delicate machine, the body, does not select his servants, he does select the material with which they are to work, and also has- a certain amount of control over the work done in the first compartment, the mouth. A great deal depends upon the manner in which he uses this power. He can see W*that proper food, correctly prepared, is taken into the mouth only at regular periods, and that this food is thorongh- • ly masticated and mixed with saliva. The saliva contains the first servant, the enzyme Ptyalin. His one duty is maltose,' and if the food is carelessly, masticated and hastily swallowed he does nqt have time for his task. The

mastication also breaks up the food so that the other servants can do "their work .with less difficulty, hi ore thoroughly and more efficiently. —The Second Compartment.—

The Stomach.—As soon as the food is swallowed it passes into the second compartment,' the stomach. The gastric juice with his four little servants, pepsin, hydrocloric acid, rennin and gastric lipase, ig ready to receive it. If there is any milk present the enzyme, rennin, appears and changes the protein in it into a soft .curd, then disappears, and leaves it to be taken' care of with the other proteins. Hydrochloric acid destroys any bacteria present, softens the cellulose, dissolves the connective tissues and helps the pepsin in its v/ork of changing proteins into proteoses, and sometimes even into peptones.

Gastric lipase has for his particular duty the transformation of fats, but since he is a little fellow and his strength is not sufficient to digest all of the fats, he takes charge of the liquid or emulsified fats only, and changes these to fatty acids and glycerine.

The stomach has no servant for the starches, but if the food has been thoroughly mixed with saliva, faithful ptyalin continues Ins work as long as he can, until finally, when the food is permeated throughout with hydrochloric acid, he succumbs, for he'cannot live in an acid medium. (To be Continued).