Treating Gastric Ulcers

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22628, 16 January 1937, Page 7 (Supplement)

Treating Gastric Ulcers

Supplying Missing ~ Vitamin C.

IT wo(dd appear that the troubles due to gastric ulcers are on the increase, or else people arc becoming more convinced of the importance of correct feeding, and so more continually ask for information 011 the subject, writes an Australian medical authority. 'Lhe subject has been very much in evidence in medical circles of late, and a very interesting and very important point has emerged from the, discussion. \\ hat may be said of gastric ulcer refers also with equal force to duodenal ulcer. One fact that needs to be borne in mind is that years ago on long sea voyages the sailors suffered from scurvy, to overcome which a daily allowance of lune juice uas insisted upon tor all deep sea vessels. Moreover, in voyages of discovery the captains of exploring vessels sought green (vegetable) food for their crews at every landfall. .When the investigation into the vitamin contents of food was undertaken, the investigators found that scurvy was due to a deficiency of vitamin C in the dietary. That, of course, is why all our dietetic advice includes a plentiful supply of fresh fruit or T «getahles; it is also the reason why, when babies are reared on one of the dried milk preparations, great stress is kdd on the necessity for giving some fruit juice daily. Mother's milk contains vitamin (' in sufficient quantity t° maintain health. The bearing of this on the treatment of gastric ulcer is that the difficulty of healing the ulcer, either with ® r without, operation, arises from the lack pf vitamin C in the system.

Milk and Eggs Important It has been found that a body known as ascorbic acid is excreted in the ] lr >ne, and may be used as a measure of the amount of vitamin C present in the system. In it series of observations 0n a number of patients suffering from Rastrie ulcer it was discovered that the 'mount of ascorbic acid excreted by lhe kidneys was far below the normal storage, which meant, of course, that hero was a considerable lack ot vitaC in the diet. »hc diet prescribed for these patients insisted very frequently of milk, bread Iff. u tter, and eggs—a diet with & ' ascorbic acid content. c» e '' st supplied in such i, B ®*, green vegetable is included with riku^j OV ' so that it be pureed, that is, ihbed through a fine sieve to make : Jr ? t, no coarse indigestible fibre the id 11 ' nt ° stomach to irritate difficulty may nrise in places where • a vegetables and fruit are hard

to obtain. This difficulty may be surmounted by using orange juice, lemon juice, or tomato juice, each of which can be obtained in a satisfactory condition either bottled or canned. And where regular supplies of green vegetables or fresh fruit arc not procurable these preserved products should be made use of as part of the medical treatment of ulcers of stomach or duodenum. Chemical Substitutes

Where concentrated juices such as orange, lemon, lime, or tomato are not procurable, your chemist can procure the vitamin C for you in various specially prepared forms. Where the services of a pathologist are available the urine can be examined, and anv deficiency of this essential to health detected, and in cases that are too slow in improving such a check .is most desirable. Jt is worthy of remark that all the most important vitamins are now being made by the large manufacturing chemists—a practical application of the results of scientific research and another item to add to the list of articles that prove scientific research does pay dividends.