ESSENTIALS 
OF 
A HEALTHY HOME 
AND 
WHOLESOME FOOD 
FOR EVERYBODY, 
ESPECIALLY FOR THE WORKING CLASSES. 
BY 
ANDREW -J. B. JENNER, I. D., 
Member of the American Public Health Association, 
etc., etc. 
DETROIT: 
JOHN F. EBY <fc CO., BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS. 
1886. Entered according to Act of Congress, A. D. 1886, 
By Andrew J. B. Jenner. 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, I). C. 
All rights reserved. PREFACE. 
The contents of this little hook profess to be a 
brief but plain and practical essay upon two highly 
important necessities in the life of every civilized 
man, woman and child, namely, a healthy home 
and wholesome food. That we all might possibly 
exist, for a time at least, without either of them, is 
true, but that anyone could live without both is 
equally false. 
The difference between merely existing and 
actually living is much greater than many people 
suppose; and this fact is one of the principal reasons 
why I have taken the trouble to write this book, 
especially as the people for whom I write are, as a 
rule, those who suffer most from a want of knowl- 
edge of the great fact above mentioned. 
In the first place, the houses they live in, and 
call their home, are anything but healthy, notwith- 
standing the fact that the price paid for them is, 
in almost every case, extortionate in the extreme: IV 
PREFACE. 
whether that money he paid for building, buying 
or renting the same. In many cases even the 
common decencies of life are either ignored or neg- 
lected ; and yet for the very same money, in all 
cases, and for very much less in many, not only 
could all the comforts and conveniences, but even 
many of the luxuries of life be easily procured. 
At all events, it is quite certain that all the 
requirements of health, in so far at least as good 
drainage and ventilation are concerned, could easily 
be complied with; and in the majority of the cases 
to which I allude, the size and arrangement of the 
rooms might be much better adapted, and the 
requirements, not only of health, but also of con- 
venience and comfort, and all this for at least the 
price already paid for so-called houses, which are 
adapted to neither. 
Then again in regard to food, much that is con- 
sumed may, in the estimation of some people, be 
considered good and palatable, but it certainly is 
not wholesome. Moreover, much money is wasted 
in this matter also; not only in the first purchase 
of the goods, but also in the want of economy in 
the subsequent disposal of the articles purchased. PREFACE. 
V 
Furthermore, there is almost always a terrible 
waste, as well as an injury done, through improper 
cooking. In this latter respect, it should be known 
and remembered that even the very best, most 
wholesome and easily digestible food, may, by bad 
cookery, be converted into the most unwholesome 
and indigestible trash imaginable—stuff hardly lit 
for the stomach of a cultivated hog. 
That these are facts is true; and that these are 
facts worth knowing ought to be also equally true. 
If this be so, those who read this preface should 
buy this book, for therein is contained all the in- 
formation necessary, not only to guard against all 
the evils that I have briefly mentioned, but it also 
contains information and advice which will save 
the purchaser thousands of dollars, if only in 
escaping his doctor’s bills. 
In my description of “the essentials of a healthy 
home,” I have not supplied any architectural plan 
either of the outside appearance, or of the internal 
arrangement. I have preferred to leave these to 
the discretion and good judgment of the intended 
builder or purchaser, as the case may be. I have 
merely set forth, in as plain and practical a manner VI 
PREFACE. 
as possible, all the requirements of a thoroughly 
healthy home; and if the advice herein given is 
fully and faithfully followed, it matters not what 
may be the outward form, or the material of which 
the house is built, provided that it be good of its 
kind, the result will be as healthy a home as art 
and science can make one ; and at an exceedingly 
moderate cost. In this latter respect, of course, 
I mean that the amount expended for actual neces- 
sities will, in any case, be comparatively small ; 
anything beyond this will necessarily be in accord- 
ance with the means and desires of the builder. 
When treating on the subject of food, I have 
not only described the various principles upon 
which their nutriment depends, but I have also 
pointed out the relative advantages and disadvan- 
tages of each particular kind. I have also described 
the various modes of cooking, whereby not only 
will all the virtues which belong to the article in 
its natural state be retained, but new ones will also 
be developed by the process to which it is sub- 
jected. 
Furthermore, the receipts herein contained are 
not merely impracticable bosh or cunning deceits, PREFACE. 
VII 
but are valuable and practical instructions how to 
prepare almost every kind of really wholesome and 
nutritious food; and so plainly and minutely are 
they written, that the veriest fool could hardly 
make a mistake in following them. At all events, 
I personally guarantee that, if such instructions 
are faithfully followed, and barring all accidents, 
every one of them will turn out just what they 
are intended to. Moreover, the food herein 
described and recommended is suited to all—high 
or low, rich or poor. The former would be es- 
pecially benefited, if they exchanged many of the 
dishes to which they are accustomed, and of which 
they are so fond, for some of those which are 
described in this little book. 
However, I have neither axe to grind, or hobby 
to ride; my sole end and aim is to aid and assist 
those for whom I write, and surely their name is 
legion. That many will not avail themselves of 
my proffered help, I know full well; some will fail 
from utter ignorance of the fact that I have ever 
written; others, however, there may be, who will 
not only hear of the writing, but perhaps may even 
handle the book, and yet refuse to buy, or they VIII 
PREFACE. 
may even buy the book, and still refuse to follow 
the advice therein contained. 
For such I pray, that they may never rue the 
day, on which they threw that chance away. 
In any case, I shall have the extreme satisfaction 
to know and to feel that I have done my duty to 
them all. 
With best wishes for your health and happiness, 
gentle reader, and for the success of this little 
book, 
Believe me to remain, 
Sincerely yours, 
THE AUTHOR. 
Detroit, Mich., May 1, 1886. CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Absorbents . 67 
Animal food 70, 92 
Assimilation 60 
Baking 72 
Bath-rooms 44 
Beans 90 
Bean Soup 96 
Bedrooms 32 
Beef . 70 
Beefsteak pudding 93 
Bile 65 
Boiling 73 
Bread 80, 85 
Broiling 75 
Bubble and squeak 99 X 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Buckwheat cakes 89 
Cabbage 91, 92 
Cakes Ill 
Cakes, buckwheat 89 
Carrots 91 
Cellar 24 
Cellar, essentials of 25 
Cheese 101 
Chimneys 35 
Chyle 67 
Chyme 63 
Climate 56 
Closets 38 
Closets, dark 38 
Closets, inside water closets 44 
Cocoa 118 
Coffee 117 
Conclusion 119 
Corn 88 
Detached houses 22 CONTENTS. 
XI 
Page. 
Digestion 60 
Double parlors 30 
Drainage .... 42 
Drink 113 
Dripping crust 104 
Dumplings, apple 107 
Dumplings, suet 96 
Duodenum 66 
Eggs 99 
Fats 81 
Fish ioi 
Flats 23 
Flat roof's 31 
Food 55 
Food, animal 70, 92 
Food, animal and vegetable .... 56, 58 
Food, miscellaneous 103 
Food, modes of cooking 71 
Food, vegetable 78, 85 
Foundation walls 26 XII 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Foundations 2S 
Fruits 112 
Furring 32 
Gingerbread . .111 
Gluten 79 
Healthy homes 22 
Healthy homes, essentials of 22 
Introductory 17 
Indian corn 88 
Kitchen 41 
Lacteal s 67 
Lining 31 
Mansard roofs 30 
Milk 102 
Miscellaneous food 103 
Mutton 98 
Oats 88 
Oatmeal ..... 88 
Onions 91 
Pancreatic juice 65 CONTENTS. 
XIII 
Page. 
Pancreatin 65 
Paste 104 
Paste for pies 105 
Paste for open pies 105 
Paste puff 104 
Parlors, double 39 
Peas 90 
Pea soup 96 
Pepsin 63 
Pies 105 
Pies, beefsteak 94 
Plumbing 42 
Pork 99 
Porridge 88 
Potato 91 
Poultry 99 
Pudding 106 
Pudding, batter . 106 
Pudding, beefsteak 93 
Pudding, bread 109 XIV 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Pudding, rice, baked 108 
Pudding, rice, boiled 108 
Pudding, roley poley 107 
Puff paste . 104 
Ptyalin 61 
Pylorus 63 
Rice 90 
Rice puddings 108 
Roasting 77 
Roley poley pudding 107 
Roof, flat 31 
Roof, mansard 30 
Rye 85 
Rye bread 85 
Saliva 61 
Shelves 27 
Sink 50 
Sink, up stairs 45 
Soups 94 
Soup, bean 96 CONTENTS. 
XV 
Page. 
Soup, pea 96 
Soup, shin of beef 94 
Tea 117 
Thein 115 
Theism 1 ] 6 
Traps 49 
Twice laid 101 
Turnips 91 
Vegetable food 78, 85 
Ventilation 33 
Ventilation, chimney 35 
Ventilation, communicating with outside air . 36 
Veranda 51 
Walls 30 
Washstands 44, 46 
Water 52, 114 
Wheat 85 
Wheat bread 80 
Wheat porridge or mush 88 
Windows 35 ESSENTIALS 
OF A 
HEALTHY HOME. 
INTRODUCTORY. 
Before I say one word upon the subject matter 
contained in this little book, I wish it to be most 
clearly understood that in making use of the 
term Working Classes, both upon the title-page, 
and also in the body of the work, I mean not 
only such as labor with their hands, but also 
those who work with their brains ; and I include 
all who work for their daily bread, and conse- 
quently whose income is limited as compared 
with that of the merchant, or of such as are 
possessed of independent means, and who can 
consequently afford to erect larger houses, and 18 
INTRODUCTORY. 
to pay for skilled labor, not only in the planning, 
but also in the erection thereof. 
And inasmuch as, now-a-days, many houses 
are built by speculators, and sold by contract, 
or upon some other protracted plan, to just such 
people as those which I have in view; and 
whereas, such houses are often very indifferently 
built, not only as regards comfort and conveni- 
ence, but also, and especially, as regards health, 
I have here endeavored, in as plain and simple 
a manner as possible, to set forth such things as 
are unquestionably necessary from botli of these 
standpoints, in order that a person who either 
prefers to buy a house already built, or to have 
one built to his order, to be paid for on some 
such plan as I have mentioned, may not only 
know what are these essential requisites, but may 
also feel assured that no matter how prepossess- 
ing a house may be in its outward appearance, 
it will be of no real value to him unless these 
prerequisites are thoroughly and efficiently pro- 
vided for. INTRODUCTORY. 
19 
Particular and especial care has been taken in 
pointing out the absolute necessity for thorough- 
ness in the construction of so-called “modern 
conveniences.” They should not only be well 
planned, but they should also be efficiently 
carried out, both as to the labor and the materials 
employed ; for, unless this is actually the case, 
these so-called modern conveniences will prove 
to be so many modern death-traps successfully 
planned and effectually carried into execution. 
Notwithstanding all that has been said, how- 
ever, this book is so written that, in the event of 
any man choosing to build a house for himself, 
with the single exception of any particular archi- 
tectural plan, he is fully informed as to every- 
thing requisite to constitute a thoroughly healthy 
home, and if he follows the advice herein given 
he will most assuredly have one. 
In the matter of wholesome food, it would 
certainly be to the advantage of all—high and 
low, rich and poor, alike—if they followed the 
instructions and advice given in the second part 20 
INTRODUCTORY. 
of this book, and made nse of some such a diet- 
ary, not only in the choice of materials, but also 
in the modes of preparation therein recommend- 
ed. 
The man of limited means, however, has a 
decided advantage over his more wealthy neigh- 
bor, in the fact that he cannot afford to pay for 
the unwholesome epicurean trash which is served 
up to the latter at every meal during the day. 
Furthermore, he may have the satisfaction to 
know that there is scarcely one in a thousand 
among them, no matter how many cooks he may 
employ, or how much money it may cost him, 
who ever has such wholesome and nutritious 
food so temptingly and deliciously set before him 
as all may have who implicitly follow the instruc- 
tions herein given. 
As a rule, these professional and high-priced 
cooks, instead of trying to develop the natural 
excellencies of the food before them, and in so 
doing increase not only its toothsomeness, but 
also its wholesomeness and digestibility, strive INTRODUCTORY. 
21 
by every means at their command (and their 
name is legion) not only to spoil it both in sub- 
stance and flavor, but also to render it totally 
unfit for food, in the proper acceptation of that 
term; for nothing can properly be called food 
which does not strengthen and build up the body 
in all its parts. Made dishes and highly-seasoned 
articles of all kinds will never do this; on the 
contrary, they not only cause disease in a variety 
of forms, but they actually shorten life. They 
create an artificial appetite, which induces one 
to eat too much; indigestion follows, which if 
often repeated becomes chronic; the stomach, 
liver, and other organs of digestion become actu- 
ally diseased, often fatally so. 
At all events, no man can expect to be strong 
and healthy, and to arrive at a good old age, 
unless he has a tolerably healthy stomach; and 
no man can possibly have a good stomach who 
does not live upon plain, wholesome, and easily 
digested food. 
Having said this much by way of introduction, 
we will pass on to consider in detail 22 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
Abundance of sunlight, thorough ventilation 
and good drainage are prerequisites to a healthy 
home for all classes. With these, a house with 
even unattractive exterior is a dwelling fit for 
any man: without them, no house, however 
costly and desirable in other respects, is fit for 
the habitation of even a valuable beast. 
Suitable houses for the working classes may be 
built either 
DETACHED, OR IN ROWS, 
The essentials being the same in either case. In 
the former, however, there is greater privacy but 
more exposure to cold; whereas, the latter are 
much more easily and cheaply kept warm ; and, 
even in the matter of privacy, may be made 
nearly as good as the former by simply paying 
proper attention in building the partition walls; 
which should always be double, and filled in with 
some non-conductor of sound, as sawdust, dry 
earth, etc. ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
23 
Workingmen’s homes might also be built in 
FLATS ; 
But I consider them objectionable from many 
points of view, both sanitary and social. Chief 
among the sanitary ob jections is the difficulty of 
collecting, under one roof, several families hav- 
ing an equal regard for cleanliness. Hence, one 
tribe might easily pollute and render unhealthy 
the whole building; and, in the event of an out- 
break of infectious or contagious disease, isola- 
tion, or even proper protection, would be almost 
impracticable. From a social point of view, this 
arrangement almost precludes the possibility of 
that privacy which is, at once, the secret and the 
charm of real home life. Furthermore, small 
one or two-story houses spread the population 
over a much wider surface, and so offer less 
obstruction to the free circulation of pure air. 
I do not consider that, in an essay such as this, 
any definite or detailed architectural plan is at 
all necessary ; a plain and practical description 
of that which is absolutely needed being all that 24 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
is actually called for. If the general principles, 
herein laid down, are faithfully followed, it will 
be perfectly safe to allow each individual to fol- 
low the bent of his own inclinations as to style 
and general ornamentation; and he will cer- 
tainly have as healthy a home as art and science 
can make one. 
Beginning, then, at the very foundation, the 
first question which naturally presents itself is, 
Shall there be an 
UNDERGROUND CELLAR 
Or shall there not be one ? 
It would, of course, be well if every house had 
a well-constructed and thoroughly-ventilated cel- 
lar under every part of it. But, as the neces- 
sary digging would form a very expensive item, 
it would, perhaps, be as well to do without one. 
Moreover, many people are accustomed to store 
fruit and vegetables in a cellar, which, unless 
great watchfulness and care be exercised, are 
very liable to ferment and decay, and so exhale 
noxious gases which, of course, will find their ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
25 
way into the house, and become the cause of 
many and serious diseases. Furthermore, all 
kinds of rubbish are often stowed away, out of 
sight, in a cellar, which, in time, become another 
source of impurity and other malarious and mal- 
odorous influences. For these, and many other 
such reasons, therefore, it will be probably best, 
on the whole, to do without an underground 
cellar. 
If, however, it is determined to have one, the 
greatest possible care should be exercised in its 
construction. It must be 
DRY, LIGHT AND AIRY. 
In order to insure the flrst of these requisites, 
four-inch porous draining tiles should be laid all 
round and outside of the proposed foundation, 
and at a depth of, at least, two feet below the 
floor of the proposed cellar. These tiles should 
converge at the back, and be connected with a 
drain running directly to the sewer, or to some 
other natural or artificial outlet. Within the 26 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
space enclosed by the foundation walls, rows of 
two-and-a-half-inch tiles should be laid at the 
same depth as the four-inch tiles, about three 
feet apart, running from front to back, and con- 
nected at the back with the four-inch tiles above 
mentioned. These tiles should be evenly laid, 
well bedded, and at such a pitch as will prevent 
the stagnation of water within them. If prop- 
erly laid, these tiles will keep the whole of the 
ground underneath the cellar perfectly dry. 
THE FOUNDATION WALLS 
Should be of hard burnt brick or stone, laid in 
good water-lime, and well cemented on the out- 
side to at least six inches above the surface of the 
ground. The depth of the cellar, underground 
and above the floor, should be, at least, three feet, 
with the same height above the bottom edge of 
the joists; thus making a total height of six feet 
in the clear. The inside of the walls should be 
evened up with plaster, and hard-finished in 
white. ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
27 
If all tliis is thoroughly done, not only will 
the cellar be perfectly dry, but a great deal will 
have been done towards the accomplishment of 
the second desideratum, namely, light. To fully 
accomplish this, there should be windows on all 
the exposed sides; and they should be so placed 
as to be opposite to each other, so that, by open- 
ing them, a thorough draught may be obtained, 
and so secure the third thing needed, namely, 
fresh air. In order to still further increase the 
quantity and enhance the quality of the latter, 
the house chimneys should be built clear down 
to the cellar floor, and flues left near the ceiling 
for upper ventilation. 
NO SHELVES 
Should be placed in contact with a cellar wall; 
but should always be either suspended from the 
ceiling, or they should form an independent 
frame-work; and they should be so arranged 
that one can go around them; and, if any bins 
are used, the front of each should always be mov- 
able, in order that it may be thoroughly cleaned 28 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
when it is empty. A cellar such as this would 
be not only a convenience, but a positive advan- 
tage to any house; whereas, one that did not 
come up to these requirements, might soon 
become so detrimental as to far outweigh any 
supposed conveniences which it might afford. It 
is hardly necessary to add that it and its contents 
must be kept scrupulously sweet and clean. 
With a cellar such as this, and with the neces- 
sary care, provisions for the winter may be so 
laid in, that by purchasing in season, a bushel 
may be bought for what will have to be paid for 
a gallon in the winter; so that the money 
thereby saved would, in a very short time, pay 
for the cost of its construction. 
THE FOUNDATIONS 
Of a house to be built without an underground 
cellar, require to be of the same material and as 
deeply laid in the ground as those above 
described; but the height above ground, to the 
bottom of the flooring joists, need be no more 
than two feet, or two feet six inches at the out- ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
29 
side ; and simple ventilators should be inserted 
instead of the windows required in the former 
case. Indeed, if thought desirable, all this may 
be dispensed with, the joists being laid directly 
on top of the foundation walls, on a level with 
the surface of the ground. In this case, however, 
it would be desirable to lay, upon the surface of 
the ground, a bed of hard cement, at least six 
inches thick; a similar floor should be also laid 
in the cellar above described. The spaces 
between the joists and the floor above should 
also be filled in with concrete or cement. 
But if it is preferred to have the house raised 
above the surface of the ground, the bottom 
edges of the joists should be ceiled, and the 
spaces between them and the floor above, should 
be filled in with cinders, or coarsely powdered 
charcoal. This will not only prevent any damp- 
ness or malaria, arising from the ground, from 
penetrating to the rooms above, but it will also 
greatly add to the healthful ness, warmth and 
comfort of the house. These last remarks 
apply, with equal force, to the joists which are 30 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
laid on the top of the walls of the cellar above 
described. 
Having now laid a solid foundation, the super- 
structure may be built of stone, brick or wood, 
as suits the taste or pocket of the builder. 
THE WALLS OF A COTTAGE 
Should be, at least, twelve feet, and of a two- 
story house twenty feet high ; and, in either 
case, surmounted by a gabled roof. 
What is commonly known as a 
“MANSARD ” 
Should never be put on an ordinary dwelling- 
house. The space beneath is utterly unfit to be 
used for healthy sleeping-rooms, being ovens in 
summer, and ice-boxes in the winter. Their 
originator intended them simply to break the 
long, straight sky-line in five, six and seven-storv 
houses in the principal business streets of large 
towns and cities, for which purpose they answer 
admirably, and for nothing else. Even a gabled ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
31 
roof should not be used for sleeping-rooms, but 
should be reserved for ventilation ; it may also 
serve as a place wherein to dry clothes in the 
winter, or in very bad weather. For both of 
these purposes, a window should be placed in 
each gable end. 
FLAT ROOFS 
Are always objectionable by reason of the 
extremes of temperature, unless a very deep 
space is left between the ceiling joists and the 
rafters, which, even then, would be a great wraste 
of space without any compensatory advantage. 
If the walls are built of wood, they should be 
LINED 
As well as weather-boarded ; and if this be done 
both on the outside and on the inside, so much 
the better. It would, indeed, add slightly to the 
first cost; this, however, would be more than 
compensated by the saving in fuel; for such a 
house would be very much warmer and dryer in 
winter, and cooler in summer. The walls should 
also be 32 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
FURRED 
On the inside. This last remark also applies if 
the house is built of brick or stone. 
The number, size and arrangement of the 
rooms will, of course, depend upon the shape 
and size of the house. General instructions in 
reference thereto will, therefore, be all that is 
necessary. 
A point of the utmost importance, but one 
which is nearly always neglected, not only in the 
arrangement of houses for the working classes, 
but also in the planning of those of far greater 
pretensions, is the position and size of the 
BEDROOMS. 
People seem to think that any place is good 
enough to sleep in ; utterly ignoring the fact 
that, as a rule, most of us spend about one-third 
of our time in bed. At all events, it is perfectly 
safe to say that everybody spends more consecu- 
tive hours in the bedroom than in any other part 
of the house. If they do not, they certainly ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
33 
should do so, if they have any regard for their 
general health. Therefore, the bedroom should 
always be the very best in the house, instead of 
the worst. 
Speaking scientifically, no bedroom should 
ever be less than ten feet long, ten feet wide and 
ten feet high ; giving a breathing space of one 
thousand cubic feet. A room of this size and 
capacity is really only fit for the healthy occupa- 
tion of one person, each individual requiring at 
least that amount of breathing space. This, 
however, can scarcely be carried out in practice, 
as such an arrangement would occupy too much 
superficial space, especially in large cities. The 
actual necessity, for the purposes of health, how- 
ever, remains the same. In order, therefore, to 
make up for want of space, especial attention 
must be paid to 
VENTILATION. 
Every room in a house should be so arranged 
that there shall be constant, independent and 
thorough ventilation; and it should be so man- 34 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
aged that no carelessness or neglect on the part 
of the occupants should be able either to inter- 
fere with or prevent it. This is especially neces- 
sary for the working classes. When a man 
comes home weary and fatigued with his day’s 
work, he should have a clean and wholesome 
place wherein to rest. This cannot be had in a 
small and ill-ventilated bedroom. Pure sleep 
cannot be had without pure air. A lethargy 
may indeed overwhelm the weary man, but this 
cannot, with safety, take the place of pure and 
refreshing sleep. The want of ventilation is one 
of the principal reasons why so many people 
complain that they awake in the morning as 
tired as though they had never been in bed, even 
though they may have really spent more than 
the usual time there. Under such circumstances, 
the longer they stay there, the worse they will 
feel, for the atmosphere, already surcharged, 
becomes more and more impure with every 
breath they draw. ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
35 
ALL THE WINDOWS 
In a house should be made to open both at the 
top and at the bottom. This is especially neces- 
sary in a bedroom; every window of which 
should always be opened, both at the top and at 
the bottom, as soon as the occupants have dressed 
themselves; and should remain open, for some 
considerable time, every day in the year. In 
addition to that provided by the windows, there 
should always be 
CHIMNEY VENTILATION. 
It would, of course, be better if there was an 
open fireplace in every bedroom; but, whenever 
such is not the case, the stovepipe hole should 
always remain open. And if, in very cold 
weather, 
A STOVE 
Is made use of, it should always be of such a 
kind as to permit of a free draught of air up the 
chimney ; nothing being more unhealthy than a 
close stove in a bedroom. 36 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
I do not approve of open windows at night, 
but there is a very safe and easy method of sup- 
plying a constant current of pure air in a room, 
which cannot but be beneficial at all seasons of 
the year, especially if many people sleep in the 
same room. This plan consists in having a 
planed board, about six inches wide, cut to the 
exact size of the inside of the window-frame, 
and so placed that the raised lower sash shall rest 
upon its upper edge. By this means, ample 
space is left between the upper and lower sash to 
admit of a strong current of air, which, being 
directed upwards, cannot possibly create a direct 
draught, which is always pernicious. 
Every bedroom should have direct 
COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTSIDE AIR, 
Not only for the purposes of ventilation, but 
also for the admission of light. No room is fit 
for a human being to sleep in that has not been 
freely exposed to the light and air during some 
portion of every day in the year. And yet how 
often do we find, even in very pretentious ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
37 
houses, rooms which are almost dark, the only 
light which penetrates them being that which is 
borrowed from another; and even this, very fre- 
quently, an ill-ventilated and badly lighted room. 
Such dens are nothing but hotbeds of disease 
and filth: and to compel children and young 
growing people to sleep in such places is noth- 
ing short of a heinous crime. Such a proceed- 
ing not only stunts and retards their growth, and 
favors the development of latent disease, where 
the tendency already exists, but it even sows the 
seed of disease, in many of its worst forms, in 
constitutions otherwise healthy. Scrofula, rick- 
ets, and even pulmonary consumption, may be 
easily started in this way. 
Moreover, it is a very great mistake for too 
many people to sleep in the same room, espec- 
ially in winter, on the supposition that it will be 
warmer; for ventilation is actually more needed 
in the winter than in summer, if only for one of 
very many reasons, that a far greater quantity of 
oxygen, or life-giving principle, is consumed in 38 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
the production and maintenance of animal heat 
in the colder than in the warmer portions of the 
year. 
Another very frequent, though scarcely sus- 
pected, cause of ill-health in houses, is the 
DARK CLOSET. 
Although every house should be well supplied 
with closets, they should always be light and 
airy; and under no circumstances whatever 
should they ever be dark and close. Dirty 
clothes and sundry other kinds of tilth are often 
stowed away in such places, and become the 
source of malodorous and malarious influences, 
often resulting in serious diseases, especially 
those of a typhoid type. 
Closets should be so arranged that, in addition 
to their ordinary ventilation, there should be 
cross-ventilation into the open air, between the 
closet and the rest of the house. This can only 
be thoroughly accomplished by special projec- 
tions, arranged for in the original plan, for this ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
39 
particular purpose. This would be easy enough 
where the house is detached, but not quite so 
readily provided for in double or terrace-houses, 
excepting in the rear. Where this cannot be 
done, every closet should have a glass door, and 
over it, a Venetian ventilator, having the slats 
directed upwards towards the ceiling, and, 
wherever possible, there should also be a win- 
dow opening directly on the outside air. 
Another most absurd and mistaken notion, but 
one that is almost universally practiced among 
all classes, is that of sacrificing the very best 
part, if not, indeed, almost the whole of the 
main floor of the house to that abortive of real 
home life, that destroyer of all social comfort, 
that barn-like waste, commonly known as the 
DOUBLE PARLOR. 
Such an arrangement is bad enough even in a 
moderately large and expensively furnished 
house: but it is utterly out of place in those 
intended for the working classes. It is, of 
course, perfectly right and proper that the work- 40 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
ing man should have a comfortable sitting-room ; 
and that he should furnish it as well as his means 
will allow. But it should be a room in daily 
use, and not one that is shut up almost from one 
week’s end to another; one in which all the fur- 
niture is covered up, and into which not even 
so much as a single ray of pure sunlight is ever 
allowed to penetrate, for fear of fading the car- 
pet, or spoiling the furniture. What an absurd 
notion! It would be infinitely better to do 
without such a room altogether, than so to abuse 
it. A room such as this, would be enough to 
cast a moral and a physical chill over the whole 
household. You can always buy furniture, but 
you cannot buy health. It certainly cannot add 
to anyone’s real wealth and comfort to be pos- 
sessed of goods stowed away in such a manner 
and in such a place. 
In order to secure a perfectly healthy home, 
every room in the house should be fully and 
freely exposed to fresh air and sunlight for some 
portion, at least, of every day in the year. ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
41 
Next in real importance to a good bedroom, 
in every house, stands the 
KITCHEN. 
This is especially so in the home of the working 
man. A well-appointed kitchen should be large, 
light and airy; and abundantly provided with 
good ventilation. No food, however plain, can 
be properly prepared for use in a dark and dirty 
hole such as frequently stands in the place of a 
good, wholesome kitchen; aye, and in so-called 
respectable houses, too. Besides, unless there is 
a constant and abundant supply of pure fresh 
air, the condensed and concentrated smells of a 
thousand meals will rankle on the walls, tainting 
the food, nauseating the stomach, and blunting 
the appetite of even a hungry working man. 
The absence of fresh air is one of the principal 
reasons why even the best of cooks can, scarcely 
ever, enjoy the fruits of their own labor. Fur- 
thermore, an airy, roomy, well and cleanly kept 
kitchen will, for the working man, obviate the 42 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
necessity of building and furnishing a more 
expensive and exclusive dining-room. 
It is now time to speak of a most important 
point in the building of houses of every kind, 
and for all sorts of people. I allude to 
THE PLUMBING AND DRAINAGE. 
These matters should not only be laid out and 
specified in the original architectural plan, but 
there should also be a special and independent 
plan of every pipe and drain in the house, and 
such a plan should be always had, and kept on 
hand, by the owner of every house, be it great, 
or be it small. 
The pipes and drains should always be laid in 
such a manner that they may be easily got at in 
case of accident, or needed repairs; and, where 
practicable, they should always be on the outside 
of walls, and above the ground; and every cov- 
ering which may be necessary, should be fastened 
with screws instead of nails, that they may be 
the more easily reached in case of need. ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
43 
In the carrying out of any plan which may be 
decided on, notwithstanding the fact that plumb- 
ers’ charges are always high, it is economy of the 
very worst kind to be niggardly or close in pro- 
viding for these items. None but thorough 
tradesmen should ever be employed ; and none 
but first-class work should ever be called for, or 
accepted. By far too little regard is paid to this 
all-important matter. Many a man has had bit- 
ter cause to repent either his own parsimony or 
the villainy of some dishonest tradesman. The 
house which he flattered himself would be a 
healthy and a happy home for himself and fam- 
ily, has, only too often, turned out to be not 
merely a hotbed of disease, but also the house of 
death to those he held most dear. 
A few words of special comment on the sev- 
eral house-plumbing needs will not, I think, be 
out of place right here. Nobody will, for a 
moment, deny that 44 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
BATH-ROOMS, STATIONARY WASH-STANDS, AND 
EVEN INSIDE WATER-CLOSETS, 
Are not only conveniences, but may even be con- 
sidered as absolute necessities. This is perfectly 
true, and equally applicable to the dwellers in all 
kinds of houses; always provided that, in the 
first place, they be properly constructed, and 
thoroughly plumbed; secondly, that they be 
properly used; and thirdly, that the person 
desiring to have them can well afford to pay for 
them. We will consider these matters in an 
inverse order, beginning with the last; this 
being of the most essential consequence in the 
construction of houses for the working classes. 
If a laboring man has the means, I see no 
earthly reason why he should not have as good a 
house as anybody else; and one supplied with all 
the comforts and conveniences of modern social 
life. A proper spirit of emulation is always 
right, but if once allowed to overstep the 
bounds of prudence it at once becomes fraught 
with the most direful consequences. The con- ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
45 
stant struggle to be as good as one’s neighbor, 
and in so doing, going beyond one’s means, lias 
been the cause of ruin to hundreds of thous- 
ands ; and is one of the most potent causes of 
poverty in this free country. So that, as is 
aforesaid, if he can well afford to have these 
things, by all means, let him have them. But, if 
he does, let him take especial care that they are 
properly used. No slops, or dirty water of any 
kind should, on any consideration, ever be 
emptied down the waste-pipe of either a bath- 
tub or stationary wash-stand ; but there should 
always be a 
WELL TRAPPED SINK UP STAIRS, 
Into which all slops may be thrown: it should 
also be supplied with a tap from which clean 
water may be drawn for cleansing purposes: 
and, even after the water, which has been used 
in either of them, has run away, the tap should 
always be allowed to run for some considerable 
time, not only thoroughly to wash out the pipes, 
but also to take care that the traps are filled with 
nothing but pure water. 46 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
The vessels themselves must always be kept 
scrupulously clean. Frequent inattention even 
to such apparently trifling: matters as these will 
very soon contaminate and render unhealthy 
even the best constructed and well appointed 
house. 
All this care and attention, however, will be of 
little avail unless everything in connection with 
this branch of the furnishings be finished in thor- 
oughly first-class style. It would be immeasur- 
ably better to do without them altogether than 
that cheap materials and poor work should take 
the place of the genuine article. It would be 
incomparably better alike for the pocket and for 
the health. 
This is especially the case if it should be 
decided to have an 
INSIDE WATER-CLOSET, 
For, unless these are thoroughly and properly 
constructed, and well looked after, they are cer- 
tain, sooner or later, to prove themselves to be a 
bitter curse, wheresoever they may be. In the ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
47 
proper construction of such places, the remarks, 
previously made, in reference to house closets, 
apply with tenfold force to inside water closets. 
But, in addition to all the requirements there 
pointed out, there should always be a pipe lead- 
ing up from the waste clear through the roof of 
the house ; care should also be taken that it be so 
placed that any effluvia issuing therefrom shall 
not be drawn into any window, or down any 
chimney of the house, and this pipe should always 
be surmounted by a revolving hood. 
Nevertheless, and notwithstanding all that has 
been said, I certainly think that, for many reasons, 
not necessary here to particularize, the working 
man’s home would be much healthier without an 
inside water-closet. 
But there must be one outside; and a great 
deal more care and attention must be bestowed 
upon its construction than is usually the case in 
such matters. In the first place, it should be so 
situated as to be easily accessible; its approaches 
so protected from the inclemency of the weather, 48 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
that it may, with comfort, be used at all seasons 
of the year. Secondly, the vault itself should be 
so constructed that it may alwaj’s be kept per- 
fectly clean. It should be built of hard burned 
brick, laid in strong water-lime, and well cemented 
within, so as to be perfectly water-tight. This 
vault can easily be kept clean and sweet by hav- 
ing the main house drain run directly into and 
through it into the common sewer, or other 
receptacle. The opening into the sewer should 
be of good size and properly trapped ; said trap 
opening outside into the sewer; so that in case 
of heavy rains or flooding from any other cause, 
it will be impossible to force this trap. Thirdly, 
the seats should be well made and properly cov- 
ered ; and a pipe should go up from the vault 
through the roof, and it should be surmounted 
with a revolving hood. 
Water-closets may be arranged in several other 
ways; but, from practical experience, I know 
that the one just recommended and described, is 
not only the simplest, but, if the house drain and ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
49 
sewer outlet are properly arranged, it is also most 
perfect in operation, and it is almost entirely odor- 
less all the year round. The vault, however, 
must be dug sufficiently deep, the fall sufficient, 
and the place so sheltered that there shall be no 
freezing of its contents, and to allow of free 
ingress and egress of water, even in the coldest 
of weather. 
Moreover, this arrangement has the great 
advantage that, unless things are thrown in 
which ought not to be, and which, from their 
size and insolubility, cannot be washed away, 
and around which accumulations may gather, 
it is self-acting, and cannot, very well, either get 
out of order itself, or, by carelessness or neglect, 
be put out of order, and thereby rendered obnox- 
ious to the senses and injurious to the health of 
those who use it, a point of the utmost import- 
ance. 
All traps used in house-plumbing or drainage 
should always be double, as single ones are very 
liable to be forced by even a very moderate 50 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
pressure of gas. They are also likely to become 
inefficient through syphonage, etc., etc. 
Every house should be provided with a 
PROPER SINK, 
Which discharges its contents through a pipe, 
trapped in the above-mentioned manner, and 
opening outside of the house, not into a drain, 
but over a drain-grating, thence through drain- 
pipes running into the common sewer, or other 
natural or artificial outlet. Before, however, this 
drain reaches its final outlet, there should be an 
absolute disconnection, by means of a suitable 
trap, through which all the house sewage must 
pass; there should also be an opening in the drain 
to the outside air, on the house side of the above- 
mentioned trap, to provide for the escape of any 
sewer-gas which may, possibly, force this trap; 
and also to provide the necessary ventilation for 
the drain itself. The rain-water pipes should 
always open over a drain-grating, unless it is 
deemed expedient to construct a cemented reser- ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
51 
voir to preserve such water; in which case the 
pipes would, of course, lead directly into it. 
A GOOD WIDE VERANDAH 
Should, if possible, surround the entire house. 
If this cannot be, there should always be one in 
the front and at the rear. It affords great pro- 
tection against the weather, at all seasons of the 
year, and keeps the ground immediately around 
the house perfectly dry, thereby greatly lessen- 
ing the chances of dampness within. Moreover, 
it is a source of pleasure and convenience in 
many other ways. 
I think that I have now described, in the brief- 
est possible way, consistent with a thorough com- 
prehension of the subject, all that is necessary to 
constitute a thoroughly healthy home. In so 
doing, I have confined myself to such things as 
are absolutely needful; and all that I have 
advised is not only exceedingly practical and 
practicable, but easy of accomplishment and at a 
very moderate cost, especially if everything is 
planned and carried out at once. 52 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
I have no faith in building houses by piece- 
meal. The circumstances attending such an 
arrangement are scarcely, if ever, conducive to 
heath, the ultimate expense is always greater, and 
the accomplishment of details much more diffi- 
cult. In my opinion, it would be far better for 
a workingman to wait until he was able to build 
rather a larger house than he then needs, than to 
build one that is just large enough, or perhaps 
only barely that, and have to enlarge it after- 
wards. Before concluding this part of the sub- 
ject, however, there is yet one more important 
thing to be noticed which, though last, is by no 
means the least important requisite to constitute 
and maintain a thoroughly healthy home. For, 
unless there be 
AN ABUNDANT SUPPLY AND A BOUNTIFUL 
USE OF HOT AND COLD WATER, 
With a plentiful supply and free use of soap, no 
house, however well supplied and appointed in 
other respects, can long remain a healthy home 
for any class of people. These remarks apply, ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
53 
with equal force, to the house itself and to those 
who dwell therein. In so far as the latter are 
concerned, it matters not whether there be a 
stationary bath-tub in the house or not, but it is a 
matter of the utmost consequence to them, in so 
far as their health is concerned, whether they 
keep themselves clean or not. 
Every one, old or young, should sponge them- 
selves over, from head to foot, at least once every 
day in the year. Instead of taking cold by such 
means, as many people suppose, it is one of the 
most powerful and reliable means of preventing 
just that very thing; besides, toning up and invig- 
orating both body and mind. 
What exquisite pleasure a laboring man, tired, 
begrimed and weary with his day’s toil, would 
enjoy if, as soon as he entered his house, he 
stripped off all his clothes and gave himself a 
thorough wash from head to feet, in water in 
which a little ammonia had been dissolved ; and, 
after rubbing himself thoroughly dry, he put oil 
fresh clothes from the skin outwards. Fatigue 54 
ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY HOME. 
would vanish like a dream ; his mind and spirits- 
would be aroused and cheered ; fitting him alike 
for the peaceful enjoyment of his family circle, 
and the cultivation of his mental faculties 
which latter is of just as much vital importance 
to him as the conservation of his physical 
strength. 
If every workingman in the land would only 
follow out, in its entirety, this simple piece of 
advice, and put into practice the latter clause, the 
realization and accomplishment of which is 
within the power of even the very poorest of 
the poor, a tremendous stride would thereby be 
taken towards the elevation of the working 
classes, and proving, beyond dispute, the true 
dignity of labor. PART SECOND. 
“WHOLESOME FOOD.” 
Having described the needed accessories to a 
healthy home, we will now pass on to discuss the 
subject of 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
Man not only needs a healthy home, but he also 
requires healthy food. He cannot live on air 
alone, but needs something not only to nourish 
and support his bodily frame, but also to supply 
the demands which are constantly being made by 
the wear and tear which is ceaselessly going on 
in his organism. Such being the case, the very 
first question which naturally presents itself is, 
Of what should that food consist? In answer to 
this all-important question, I would most unhesi- 
tatingly reply that, a due proportion of 56 
WHOLESOME EOOD. 
ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE 
Food is that most conducive to the health of 
man. 
Comparative anatomy has shown that the 
digestive apparatus in man is about midway 
between the herbivora and the carnivora; or 
such animals as live entirely upom vegetables, 
and those which subsist upon flesh alone. It 
would, perhaps, be more correct to say that it is 
a combination of the two, which fact goes far 
to prove that man was intended to make use of 
both. 
But all food is not, at all times, wholesome. 
The old rule that “circumstances alter cases” 
is equally applicable here as elsewhere. It is 
therefore, to these special circumstances, spec- 
ially affecting this subject, that I would, first of 
all, direct your especial attention. 
Chief among these is the influence of the 
CLIMATE, 
And the temperature of the place, in which we 
live, and also the season of the year. This is a WHOLESOME FOOD. 
57 
matter of far more consequence than most people 
are apt to imagine. Many suppose that they 
can, with equal propriety, live and thrive upon 
the same kind of food in places situated near the 
equator, and in those not far distant from the 
north pole. Still more people imagine that 
there need be no material difference in their diet 
in summer and in winter. But these are very 
great mistakes, and thousands there are who 
have found it out, to their great and grievous 
loss. 
The general rule, in reference to this matter, 
is that the hotter the weather, the less need is 
there for animal food: and consequently, the 
greater should be the proportion of farina, fruit 
and vegetables consumed. 
The reason is that, the colder the weather, the 
more condensed is the atmosphere, and conse- 
quently, a larger amount of animal food is 
required; not only to neutralize the inspired 
oxygen, by supplying sufficient carbon for this 
purpose, but also enough for the supply and main- 58 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
tenance of internal animal heat, which is mainly 
attributable to the combustion of carbon con- 
tained in the blood, in oxygen supplied to the 
lungs in the air we breathe. 
Most people will admit that both 
ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE 
Food are necessary; or, at all events, that an 
admixture of the two is preferable to either of 
them used exclusively; but as a rule, by far too 
much animal food is consumed by people of all 
classes in the community. 
This is especially true in this country, where 
meat forms a principal part of every meal taken 
during the day. Now, if this was at all neces- 
sary, or even beneficial, one could not fail to see 
it in the appearance of the people generally, for 
the principal indications of a dietary chiefly com- 
posed of meat are not only an increase in size 
and weight, but also a robustness of physique 
and a florid complexion, showing thereby, not 
only that blood was made in very large quantity, 
but also very rich in quality. WHOLESOME FOOD. 
59 
I ask, Is sucli the appearance of Americans in 
general ? To this I unhesitatingly answer, No I 
On the contrary, the great majority of the 
people of this country, are pale-faced, sallow- 
skinned and thin. I freely admit that there are 
many other causes at work which may, more or 
less, contribute to this latter result. Neverthe- 
less, I am fully persuaded that a too free indul- 
gence in the use of animal food, without the 
proper correctives, is certainly, and by far the 
most important cause of this decidedly Ameri- 
can characteristic. 
It is perfectly true, however, that this descrip- 
tion of food is highly nutritive: nay, even more 
so, weight for weight, than farina, fruit or veg- 
etables ; but the question of mere nutriment 
should not, at all times, be paramount to every 
other consideration, for be wTell assured that dis- 
ease will inevitably follow, if the system be 
overcharged even with nutriment. 
Before I proceed to describe the various kinds 
of food, and the best methods to be pursued in 60 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
its artificial preparation, it would, perhaps, be as 
well if I introduced a brief description of the 
natural method. For however wholesome or 
nutritious any food may be, or however well 
prepared by art, it will fall far short of its avail- 
able uses, and the purposes for which it was 
designed, if it be not first digested and after- 
wards thoroughly assimilated. I shall, therefore, 
at once proceed to give a short account of the 
various processes by which these all-important 
ends are to be accomplished. 
DIGESTION AND ASSIMILATION. 
In the first place, then, the food enters the 
body by the mouth, there to undergo a process 
of grinding and comminution. This operation 
is effected by the teeth; and it is a matter of 
great importance that it should be thoroughly 
performed, otherwise each subsequent part of 
the digestive process will either be very much 
retarded, or even more serious trouble may 
result. WHOLESOME FOOD. 
61 
Besides being reduced and subdivided by the 
teeth, the food undergoes even a still more 
important process before it leaves the mouth ; it 
becomes mixed and diluted with the 
SALIVA, 
A liquid secreted by a number of glands, and 
poured out by numerous orifices into several 
parts of the mouth. 
This saliva contains a peculiar organic com- 
pound called 
PTYALIN, 
Which has the property of converting starch 
into sugar; the only way in which starch can be 
assimilated and be made use of in the organism. 
Now, as this ptyalin is found only in the saliva, 
and as it is absolutely necessary that every parti- 
cle of food containing starch should be sub- 
mitted to the influence of this compound, in 
order that it may be converted into sugar, does 
it not prove that it is indispensably necessary 
that the food should be thoroughly mixed with 62 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
this saliva ? Most assuredly it does. And yet, 
how utterly careless or ignorant of this fact are 
the great bulk of the people of all classes in 
this country. 
The utter disregard of this necessity is the 
most potent cause of one of the very worst 
forms of dyspepsia, of which so many thousands 
suffer and are suffering. 
Another very foolisli and injurious custom, 
almost universally practiced in this country, is 
that of swallowing water, or some other liquid, 
with every mouthful of food that is taken. This 
is entirely unnecessary and perfectly useless, for 
nature has provided, in a bountiful supply of 
saliva, not only all the fluid that is necessary for 
the mere moistening of the food, but she sup- 
plies such a liquid as contains, within itself, all 
that is necessary to make the food pleasant to the 
taste and render it fit for reception in the stom- 
ach, into which receptacle it is forced through 
the gullet by the spasmodic action of the mus- 
cles of deglutition. WHOLESOME FOOD. 
63 
Here the food meets with a solvent fluid, of 
ail acid reaction, and containing another pecu- 
liar organic compound called 
“PEPSIN,” 
Whose office it is to dissolve the gluten of veg- 
etables and the fibrin of meat, and all substances 
containing albumin and gelatin. 
By the combined action of the saliva and pep- 
sin, and the acid gastric juice, all the hetero- 
geneous articles composing a meal (with the 
exception of the fat, which is merely divided 
into minute globules, preparatory to subsequent 
action elsewhere) are reduced to an uniform 
pulpy fluid called 
“ CHYME.” 
It is thence transferred, through a narrow 
opening, at the lower end of the right side of 
the stomach, called the 
“PYLORUS,” 
Into the “ duodenum,” as the first twelve inches 
of the small intestines is called, from the Latin 64 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
word “ duodecem,” which means twelve. The 
word “pylorus” is derived from two Greek 
words, tvu?,7j, pule, a gate, and oupoz, ouros, a 
keeper, so that the whole word means gatekeeper 
—and so jealous of his charge is this gatekeeper 
that, if he can help it, he will not allow anything 
to pass his portal in a crude or imperfect state. 
So that if, through improper mastication or 
imperfect solution in the gastric juices, any por- 
tion of the food remains lumpy, or undigested, 
he will endeavor to intercept its passage through 
liis gate; and such a commotion does he make 
that irritation of the muscular coats of the stom- 
ach and diaphragm is set up, vomiting ensues, 
and the offending matter is thus expelled from 
the body; but if this does not take place, all the 
horrors of acute dyspepsia are the inevitable 
result. 
If, however, this is frequently repeated, if he 
is thus often annoyed, he becomes callous, and 
eventually gives up, and a train of symptoms 
then ensue too numerous and distressing to par- 
ticularize. WHOLESOME EOOD. 
65 
Having passed through the pylorus, the chyme 
passes onwards through the duodenum. In its 
passage it comes in contact with, first, the 
BILE, 
Secreted by the liver. This liquid reacts upon 
it, neutralizes its acidity, and separates the glyc- 
erine, or sweet portion of the fat, leaving the 
oily part to be acted upon by the 
PANCREATIC JUICE, 
Secreted by the “ pancreas ” or sweetbread, 
before which it passes after leaving the biliary 
duct. 
This pancreatic juice also has a peculiar 
organic principle called 
“PANCREATIN,” 
Whose office it is to emulsify fat, and so render 
it fit for absorption and subsequent assimilation. 
The pancreas is an organ which ought to be 
well known, and thoroughly understood by every 
well-educated medical man : and yet, its office, if 66 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
not, indeed, its very existence is, too frequently, 
ignored; and the unfortunate liver is too often 
blamed for faults of which it is perfectly inno- 
cent. Many people suppose, and are frequently 
told by the doctor, that their liver is out of 
order, whereas in reality, it is the pancreas which 
is at fault: and the reason is that people eat by 
far too much fat, in the shape of butter and 
lard, and use by far too much grease in the prep- 
aration of their food, so that the poor unfortun- 
ate organ is not only overworked, but the fat is 
presented to it in such a manner as almost to 
preclude the possibility of properly getting rid 
of one lot before another is presented to it for 
action. This is another of the manifold injuries 
done to unoffending organs by the hurried man- 
ner of eating, and consequent imperfect prepa- 
ration of the food, both in the mouth and after 
it leaves it. 
THE DUODENUM 
Also secretes a peculiar slimy mucus, which has 
the power not only of assisting the pancreas in WHOLESOME FOOD. 
67 
the emulsion of fat, but it also completes the con- 
version of any particles of starch which may 
have escaped the action of the ptyalin and gas- 
tric juice. 
The chyme, having been acted upon by both 
of these fluids, assumes a milky appearance, and 
is now called 
“CHYLE,” 
Which now passes slowly onwards through the 
convolutions of the small intestines: in its pas- 
sage through which, the nutritious portions are 
absorbed, or taken up by innumerable little ves- 
sels, opening out upon the inner coat of the 
small intestines. 
These vessels are called 
LACTEALS OR ABSORBENTS, 
And are, at first, exceedingly minute, but by 
conjunction and ramification with others larger 
and still larger, eventually they all unite in one 
grand reservoir, called “ receptaculum chyli,” or 
receptacle of the chyle. 68 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
From this reservoir a pipe, called the “ thor- 
acic duct” proceeds, through which the chyle 
passes upwards into the left “subclavian vein” 
situated just under the left collar-bone. By it 
the chyle is conveyed to the right side of the 
heart. In its passage thither it meets and 
becomes mixed with the black or venous blood, 
together with which it is carried to the lungs 
by the pulmonary artery. Here the whole 
becomes vitalized, and rendered fit for the pur- 
poses of nutrition by the absorption of oxygen, 
contained in the air cells of the lungs, giving 
out, in return, carbonic acid gas. 
It is now carried, by the pulmonary veins, to 
the left side of the heart, by which it is projected 
into the “ aorta” or main artery, and thence dis- 
tributed over every part of the body. 
Having attentively perused this briefly detailed 
account of the process of digestion and assimila- 
tion, one cannot fail to perceive the absolute 
necessity for the due performance of each and 
every successive stage of the process: and the WHOLESOME FOOD. 
69 
remembrance of this fact cannot be too fre- 
quently or forcibly impressed upon the minds of 
all, high and low, rich and poor, alike; for, as 
has been aforesaid, unless this is thoroughly 
done, even the very best and most wholesome 
and nutritious food will not only be rendered 
unwholesome and injurious, but at best, it will 
but half effect the good of which it is capable. 
I shall now describe the various articles fit for 
food for man, especially emphasizing such of 
them as are peculiarly adapted to the wants of 
the working classes. 
I shall also describe the best methods of pre- 
paring them for use, not only with a view to the 
strictest economy, but also to the development 
of their nutritive qualities, and rendering them 
more attractive to the eye and pleasant to the 
taste. 
Inasmuch, then, as food of all kinds is, or 
ought to be, composed of a due admixture of ani- 
mal and vegetable substances, and as bread and 
meat are the staple articles of diet, I shall, in 70 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
describing the relative merits of the products of 
each kingdom, use Wheat as the example of the 
one, and Beef as that of the other: and having 
discussed these matters in general, I shall after- 
wards take them in detail. I shall, first of all, 
consider the merits of 
ANIMAL FOOD. 
The nutritive principles in all kinds of meat 
are Fibrin, Albumin, Gelatin and Fat, of which 
Fibrin is by far the most important. All kinds 
of meat also contain a variable amount of chem- 
ical salts, especially phosphates. Fully one-fifth 
of the entire weight of a healthy piece of beef 
consists of fibrin: and in proportion as this sub- 
stance abounds, so, in a like degree, does the 
value of this particular flesh increase as a nutri- 
tive and life-sustaining material. The other con- 
stituents are very wholesome, nutritious and 
easily digested, except fat, which, as I have 
before said, not only requires to be properly com- 
minuted in the mouth and stomach, but the liver WHOLESOME FOOD. 
71 
and the pancreas must also be in perfect work- 
ing order. Nevertheless, this latter substance is 
of the greatest importance in the animal econ- 
omy, for not only does it form the principal 
ingredient in the productions of internal animal 
heat, by the combustion of the carbon which 
constitutes its chief ingredient, but the oily por- 
tions are also of especial value as food for the 
brain and nerves. 
Meat is usually cooked in live or six different 
ways, standing, according to merit, in the order 
in which I shall place them, namely, 
BAKING, BOILING, BROILING, ROASTING, STEW- 
ING AND FRYING. 
The last-named is the worst of all possible modes 
of cooking, chiefly because the fat which is 
necessary to the process is, in a great measure, 
decomposed, and thereby not only converted into 
a very unwholesome article itself, but it also 
injures whatever is cooked in it. 
There are, however, exceptions to this, as to 
every other rule, whereby, if properly con- 72 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
ducted, even frying may be made a wholesome 
method of cooking; nay, even the best adapted 
to certain kinds of food, as will be shown in 
their proper place in the sequel. But I repeat 
that frying, as usually practiced, not only injures 
the food operated upon, but also the stomach 
which has to digest it. 
To whichever of the above processes meat is 
subjected (with the single exception of stewing) 
the heat, at first, should always be very intense. 
For instance, if you want to 
BAKE 
A joint of meat, the oven should be very hot 
when the meat is put in. By this means the 
outside fibres of the meat are at once contracted 
and the pores closed, so that, instead of oozing 
out into the dripping-pan, the natural juices of 
the meat are retained. This protective process is 
usually accomplished in a very few minutes; 
when it is, the heat may be slackened and the 
meat be allowed slowly to cook in its own juices. WHOLESOME FOOl). 
73 
Some water and a little dripping should, how- 
ever, be placed with the meat in the pan, when 
first put into the oven ; with this and what flows 
out from the meat, the joint should be constantly 
basted, and twenty minutes for every pound of 
meat should be the time allowed for cooking. 
BOILING 
Requires precisely the same directions respecting 
the heat and the time allowed for cooking, thus : 
To properly boil a piece of fresh meat, it 
should be immersed in water which is boiling 
furiously over a good hot fire. The same ends 
are effected and the same precautions needed as 
those just described in baking, excepting, of 
course, that it does not require to be basted. 
When, however, you wish to boil a piece of 
salted meat, you should always put it into cold 
water, and allow it slowly to come to a boil, and 
continue to boil slowly. This will, to a great 
extent, freshen the meat, and make it eat much 
more tender. In any case, however, salt meat 
should always boil slowly. 74 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
When meat which has been cooked in either 
of the above ways, and the directions faithfully 
followed, is cut into, the luscious juices rush out 
into the dish in a perfect torrent, and the meat 
itself is just as different from the dried up, 
wasted trash so frequently seen, even upon the 
best of tables, as “ chalk is from cheese; ” and 
of itself, without piquant sauce, or relish of any 
kind, even the very sight of such meat is enough 
to make anybody’s mouth water, and to provoke 
an appetite in the most confirmed and miserable 
dyspeptic. 
Such meat as this contains within itself all 
that is necessary to build up and maintain robust 
and vigorous health, and if the partaker thereof 
will only do his simple duty, by leisurely per- 
forming the various processes of nature, pre- 
viously pointed out by me, when speaking of 
digestion, the pleasure of eating it will not be 
followed by subsequent regret; on the contrary, 
invigoration and refreshment will be the only 
result. WHOLESOME EOOD. 
75 
BROILING 
Comes next; and, in order that this very whole- 
some mode of cooking should be successfully 
accomplished, the broiler should be set over 
glowing coals, and the meat should be turned 
over almost as soon as it has been put upon the 
broiler. This turning should be repeated sev- 
eral times in succession, until the outside fibres 
have contracted and the pores closed; the meat 
should then be allowed, slowly, to cook in its 
own juices, occasionally turning it until it is 
thoroughly done, which will be in from twenty 
to thirty minutes, according to the size and 
thickness of the steak. If this operation be 
carefully watched, there will not be the slightest 
fear either of burning it up on the outside or 
drying it up within. A steak, cooked in this 
manner, when cut into, will never look red, 
while it is hot, but the color of the juice, which 
gushes out of it, will be a beautiful brown 
cherry red, which is, in reality, cooked gravy, 
and not blood. Moreover, the flavor and aroma 76 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
of such a steak will be so delicious that anyone, 
who tastes such an one for the first time, will 
hardly believe that he is eating common beef- 
steak. 
You frequently hear folks talking of rare beef- 
steak ; this, when really so, is good enough for 
those who like it, but what is usually called rare 
is, in reality, raw, and in my opinion fit food for 
dogs, and not for men. 
The method adopted to spoil a good steak, in 
this shameful manner, is to put it on a broiler, 
over a very hot fire, and allow it to remain until 
one side is thoroughly burned, then it is turned 
over, and the other side is allowed to burn like- 
wise. Butter, pepper and salt are then put on, 
and it is dished up and sent to table. 
When such a steak as this is cut into, not a 
drop of juice runs out, the inside is of a purple 
color, and scarcely even warm, the burning of the 
outside having been accomplished too quickly 
to allow of sufficient time for the fire to have 
penetrated the whole thickness of the meat. If, WHOLESOME FOOD. 
77 
by chance, a steak so treated should happen to 
be thin, the substance resulting would be some- 
thing akin to scorched sole-leather or partially 
charred wood, and would be ecpially nutritious 
and digestible. 
ROASTING 
Is a process very rarely practiced nowadays, but 
if properly done, is the very best and most 
wholesome way of cooking any fresh meat. 
The meat should be spitted and placed before a 
good fire, the jack should be so set as to con- 
tinue a slow and uniform turn, and the meat 
should be well and constantly basted. The time 
allowed is about the same as that for baking. 
STEWING, 
Properly so called, is, at once, a very wholesome 
and economical method of preparing animal 
food. The meat to be stewed should be put into 
a pan with a very little water; pepper, salt and 
vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, onions, etc., 
sliced very thin, should then be put over it, and 78 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
the whole covered down witli a closely-fitting 
lid. The stewing-pan should be so placed on the 
stove that its contents can never reach the boil- 
ing point, but should slowly simmer for from four 
to six hours, according to the quantity and thick- 
ness of the meat. Even the toughest piece of 
beef, treated in this way, will not only become 
perfectly tender, but will also be wonderfully 
appetizing: so much so, indeed, that stewed 
beefsteak invariably forms one of the side dishes 
at every great dinner, whether it be given in a 
public place or in one’s private house. 
We will now, for the present, leave animal 
food and proceed to discuss, in a general way, 
the merits of 
VEGETABLE FOOD. 
The principle elements upon which vegetable 
nutriment depends are Starch, Gluten, Sugar 
and Oil. All the cereals, such as Wheat, Oats, 
Rye, Indian Corn, etc., contain the first two and 
the last, while fruits and vegetables proper 
chiefly supply the third of the above-mentioned 
elements. WHOLESOME FOOD. 
79 
As beef is the king of meats, so is wheat the 
queen of cereals. .Nevertheless, there is less dif- 
ference, in nutritive value, between wheat and 
the other kinds of grain, than there is between 
beef and other sorts of meat. 
STARCH 
Forms the bulk of all kinds of grain, and it is 
to it, chiefly, that all of them owe their nutritive 
and life-sustaining qualities. Gluten, however, 
plays very nearly, if not quite, as important part 
as starch. This last substance is very similar to, 
and answers precisely the same purposes in the 
vegetable world, that fibrin does in the animal 
kingdom ; but starch and sugar, by their conver- 
sion into gum and glucose, in the process of diges- 
tion, become more nearly allied to the former, 
and so are enhanced in their nutritive qualities. 
Nevertheless, 
GLUTEN 
Is, of and by itself, a most important element in 
nutrition. It is, in fact, the vegetable blood and 80 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
muscle producer, and in its absence, the other 
elements would be insufficient to maintain vigor- 
ous bodily health. 
This is made manifest by the fact that those 
who live upon baker’s bread, and articles pre- 
pared exclusively from the so-called fine white 
flour, from which nearly all the gluten has been 
removed, in the process of grinding and sifting, 
never look as well, nor are they really so strong, 
as those who live upon food prepared from the 
whole grain. Good, wholesome 
BREAD 
Should always be made from the whole grain, or 
from such as has only had the thin outside husk 
removed : for it is in the outer circle of the 
grain, immediately next to the husk, that nearly 
all the gluten is found, although it is, more or 
less, distributed over the whole seed. Bread 
made in this way will not be quite so white as 
that made from fine flour, but this should not be 
considered for a moment; but, unfortunately, it WHOLESOME FOOD. 
81 
is, and so adds one more to the already innum- 
erable instances in which real worth is sacrificed 
to deceitful appearances. 
Apropos of this last remark, it is not generally 
known that small grains of wheat are better than 
large ones. It is, nevertheless, a fact. What 
are commonly known as “tailings” contain 
much more real nutriment than fine wheat, and, 
if properly cleaned, are worth half as much 
again as the larger. This fact is well understood 
and appreciated by the thrifty farmer, but not 
by the public in general, or even the average 
wheat-grower; otherwise, “ chicken-feed ” would 
bring a much higher price than it does to-day, 
and chickens would get but a very little of it. 
There is very nearly an absolute resemblance 
between animal and vegetable 
FATS. 
In composition, they are almost identical. The 
offices each fulfill, in the animal organism, are 
also alike, and precisely the same requirements 82 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
are necessary to the proper digestion and assimi- 
lation of both. 
Although, as I have before said, there is very 
little difference in nutritive value between the 
cereals, there is, nevertheless, a great difference 
between them as to adaptability. For instance, 
wheat and rye are almost identical in their 
elementary composition ; they may also both be 
used indiscriminately in the manufacture of good 
wholesome bread. Whereas, Oats, Barley, Indian 
Corn, and many other eatable seeds cannot be so 
used, but are either eaten as porridge, or made 
into so-called cakes. Furthermore, there is a 
difference in the quantity and quality of the 
Gluten and the Fat contained in each. 
Of all the common cereals, Oats contain the 
largest amount of gluten, while Indian Corn has 
the largest proportion of fat. Oats, however, 
are not very far behind even in this particular ; 
hence, it is that oatmeal is so generally and 
extensively used. Combined with milk, oatmeal 
contains every essential, not only for the preser- WHOLESOME FOOD. 
83 
vation of life, but also for the maintenance of 
sound and vigorous health. 
The inhabitants of the Highlands of Scotland 
are a standing example and proof of this fact. 
These people live almost entirely upon oatmeal 
and milk; and, notwithstanding the fact that the 
climate of the Highlands would, by most peo- 
ple, be considered almost the worst in the world, 
nevertheless, Highlanders are among the health- 
iest, hardiest, strongest and longest-lived of any 
people under the sun. 
There is yet another point of similarity 
between animal and vegetable food, to wit: they 
both contain a greater or less amount of chem- 
ical salts, especially phosphates. 
If, therefore, the foregoing remarks have been 
attentively read and remembered, one cannot fail 
to have observed the close resemblance between 
the essential constituents of the food products 
supplied by the two great kingdoms of nature. 
So great is this resemblance, indeed, that it would 
be quite possible for man to live upon either to 
the complete exclusion of the other. 84 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
In proof of this, we have only to remember, 
on the one hand, that the inhabitants of Green- 
land, and other places near the North Pole, sub- 
sist entirely upon fish, flesh and oil; and on the 
other hand, that the inhabitants of the tropics 
live, almost entirely, upon fruits and vegetables. 
These are the two extremes, in every sense of 
the word. As such, both of them are right and 
proper, but for the great majority of mankind 
the middle course is best, and certainly more con- 
ducive to health and longevity. 
We will now run straight along, seriatim and 
in detail, through the list of articles commonly 
used as food by man, and point out any peculiar- 
ities which specially befit any of them for use 
by the working classes in particular. This time 
we will commence with WHOLESOME FOOD. 
85 
VEGETABLE FOOD. 
WHEAT. 
This grain may not only be used as bread, but 
it may also be cooked as porridge, for which lat- 
ter purpose it simply requires to be cracked, or 
what is perhaps still better, to be dried and then 
rolled out fiat. 
RYE 
Is generally made use of simply as bread. This 
description of grain may, like wheat, be made 
into excellent bread, by using flour made from 
the entire seed; or, if preferred, it may be 
mixed with an equal quantity of fine flour. 
TO MAKE GOOD BREAD, 
Put say eight pounds of flour into a large pan ; 
then dissolve one cake of either dry hop yeast, or 
the same quantity of compressed yeast, in about 
one pint and a half of warm water ; put this into 
a hole made made in the middle of the flour in the 
pan, and, with a wooden spoon, stir gently round 86 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
until a soft batter is formed in the midst of the 
flour; sprinkle a little dry flour over this, cover 
the whole with a cloth, and set it in a warm 
place to raise. If dry yeast is used, it will be 
better to set the dough over night; but if com- 
pressed yeast be employed, the bread must be set 
in the morning, and it will be ready to bake in 
the afternoon of the same day. 
When the dough has sufficiently raised, wdiich, 
if it was set over night, will be early in the fol- 
lowing morning, but if set in the morning, will 
be in three or four hours, add sufficient luke- 
warm water to make a good stiff dough ; knead 
it thoroughly, cover it up, and set it aside to 
raise a second time. In about two hours it 
should be ready to knead again. When this is 
done, mould it into loaves and set it aside to 
raise a third time. In a short time it will be 
ready to put into a good quick oven. Bake for 
two hours, or until it is thoroughly done. 
If the flour used was that made from the 
whole seed, without any admixture with fine WHOLESOME FOOD. 
87 
flour, it will take a little more yeast, a little more 
water, more time to raise and a little longer to 
bake. 
If the above instructions be minutely and 
faithfully followed, the result will be twelve 
pounds of good, wholesome and highly nutri- 
tious bread : such bread as every laboring man 
should use, and every laboring man’s wife should 
be able and willing to make. It matters not 
whether he labors with his hands or with his 
head, for such bread as this will supply the nutri- 
ment, not only for blood, bone and muscle, but 
also for brain and nerve. Whereas, the disgust- 
ing and useless trash usually consumed, contains 
neither. Tolerably nutritious bread may, indeed, 
be made from so-called fine flour, but none to be 
compared with that above described. But that 
which bakers usually supply, and that which 
people commonly use, has had all the goodness 
wmrked out of it, and is very little better than 
yeast itself. To be compelled to live exclusively 
upon such trash would surely end in death by 
starvation by any one who chose to try it. 88 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
OATS AND INDIAN CORN 
Are, principally, used as porridge, and used in 
this way are exceedingly wholesome, nutritious 
and strength-sustaining, especially oats. 
TO MAKE GOOD PORRIDGE, 
Whether of cracked or crushed wheat, oats or 
Indian-meal, it should be partially cooked over 
night, for neither of them can be thoroughly 
done in less than three hours, at least. It would 
even be much better if four hours were allowed, 
for, unless all such things are thoroughly cooked, 
not only are they less wholesome, but they are 
also much more difficult to digest. Crushed 
wheat and fine oatmeal, however, are an excep- 
tion to the above rule as to time, for they may 
be thoroughly cooked in from one-half to one 
hour. 
One pint of porridge, properly made from 
either of the above materials, eaten with one 
pint of pure fresh milk, will make a far better 
and more sustaining breakfast, for any working- 
man, than all the eggs and beefsteak which he AVHOLESOME FOOD. 
89 
can cram into him. This kind of food would 
also be infinitely better, both for his wife and his 
children. 
If people in general would eat more porridge, 
we should very soon see the beneficial results, in 
healthier and stronger women, and in jolly, fat 
and wholesome looking children, instead of the 
poor, weak and miserable looking objects of pity 
one so often sees around. 
BUCKWHEAT CAKES 
Are wholesome food, especially in winter, and 
may be made as follows: To a pint of buck- 
wheat flour add a lieaping teaspoonful of baking 
powder and a teaspoonful of salt; mix well to- 
gether, and add a pint of cold water, or sufficient 
to form a batter; mix well and pour out on to a 
hot griddle and bake immediately. 
If made with yeast, proceed as follows : Dis- 
solve a quarter of a cake of yeast in a teacup- 
ful of warm water; add this to one pint of 
buckwheat flour, stir in lightly, and set the ves- 
sel containing it in a warm place to raise over 90 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
night. In the morning dissolve half a teaspoon- 
ful of saleratus in a little water, add this to the 
ba tter; mix well and bake immediately on a hot 
griddle. 
RICE, 
Though exceedingly wholesome, is not so well 
suited to the wants of the workingman, as it 
Contains the least amount of gluten, or muscle- 
producing element, of any of the cereals; it is 
also very deficient in fat. It is, however, very 
well adapted to those who work indoors, and, 
when eaten with plenty of fresh milk, it forms 
a very light, wholesome and nutritious diet for 
folks of all classes. 
PEAS AND BEANS, 
Form an exceeding wholesome and sustaining 
kind of food, and are especially adapted to the 
needs of the hard-working man. Inasmuch, 
however, as they are not usually eaten alone, I 
shall pass them by, for the present, to mention 
them again when we describe the various kinds 
of soup. WHOLESOME EOOI). 
91 
VEGETABLES PROPER 
Of these, the best known and most exten- 
sively used is the common potato. But, strange 
to say, “ but no less strange than true,” that, 
weight for weight, , 
THE POTATO 
Contains less real nutriment than almost any 
other ordinary vegetable. It contains an abun- 
dance of starch, but is almost entirely devoid of 
either gluten or fat; hence its deficiency as a 
muscle-producer or strength-sustainer. Never- 
theless, when eaten or mixed with other articles 
abounding in these latter requisites, it becomes 
an exceedingly useful article of food for all 
classes and in all climates. 
CABBAGE, CARROTS, ONIONS AND TURNIPS 
Are, all of them, highly nutritious and strength- 
sustaining, and should, therefore, be largely con- 
sumed by the working classes. 92 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
They all contain an abundance of gluten, in 
combination with sugar and starch. 
CABBAGE 
Is especially rich in gluten, and, all tilings con- 
sidered, is perhaps the most nourishing and mus- 
cle-producing of all the vegetables proper. 
Yegetables should always be put into boiling 
water when about to be cooked; a little salt 
should also be added, and, in the case of green 
vegetables, a little carbonate of soda also. This 
not only preserves their color but also makes 
them much more tender. 
We now pass on to 
ANIMAL FOOD. 
BEEF 
Stands the first in order, and is, unquestionably, 
“ taken for all in all,” the most nutritious, blood, 
muscle and strength-producing and maintaining 
of all meat. It may be eaten fresh or salted ; it 
may be prepared by baking, broiling, boiling, WHOLESOME FOOD. 
93 
roasting, stewing, and in a variety of other 
ways. The principal processes have been already 
described, and need not, therefore, be repeated 
here. I shall, at once, proceed to give a few 
practical receipts, in which beef plays an import- 
ant part in making wholesome, toothsome, and 
nutritious dishes, especially adapted to the work- 
ing classes. 
BEEFSTEAK PUDDING. 
Rub half a pound of either beef dripping, lard 
or finely chopped suet into one pound and a half 
of flour, adding a pinch of salt. Make it into a 
stiff paste with as little water as possible, and 
roll it out moderately thin. Having scalded 
your pudding-cloth, lay it over a good-sized 
basin, pressing it to the bottom and around the 
sides; flour it well, and then lay in your crust 
smoothly over the well-floured cloth. How put 
in two pounds of good round steak, which has 
been previously cut into dice about an inch 
square, and well seasoned with pepper and salt. 
Pour over this a teacupful of water; then mois- 94 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
ten the edges of your crust, and gather it up to 
the centre, pinch it well together, and then tie it 
up tightly in the cloth. Put it into a pot of 
sharply boiling water, and keep it boiling for 
three or four hours. When done, turn it out of 
the cloth into a dish, and serve immediately. 
BEEFSTEAK PIE 
May be made by lining a deep dish with paste, 
made as above described. Cut the meat into 
thin slices, and lay it in the dish, with a few thin 
strips of ham or salt pork; season well with 
pepper and salt; then put in a little water, thick- 
ened with flour and to which some sauce or 
ketchup lias been added, enough to nearly All 
the dish; cover with the upper crust, and bake 
for one hour and a quarter, or longer if the 
crust is thick. 
SHIN OF BEEF SOUP. 
Take a shin of beef, weighing say ten pounds, 
break it into small pieces, separate the bone from 
the meat, and take out the marrow. Put the WHOLESOME FOOD. 
95 
bones into a pot, cover them with cold water and 
let them boil for four or five hours. Put the 
marrow and the meat into another pot, set it 
over the fire to brown, keeping it well stirred 
about to prevent it from burning. When brown 
all over, put in a quart of water and a lump of 
salt; let it boil for a quarter of an hour; then 
add five quarts of water, two or three each of 
onions, turnips and carrots, cut into slices, a 
head of celery cut up, a few sweet herbs, and 
pepper and spice if preferred. Let it simmer 
slowly for four or five hours. Then add the 
liquor, in which the bones have been stewing; 
take off all the fat, and then take out a cupful 
of the soup and let it cool. Then stir in twTo 
tablespoonfuls of flour; add this, gradually, to 
the rest of the soup, stir all well together, and 
let it boil up, after which it will be ready to 
serve. The whole quantity of soup, when made, 
should measure about four quarts, and if prop- 
erly made, will keep for a week or more in cold 
weather. This is a most excellent, valuable and 96 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
economical receipt. One pint of such soup is 
equal to about half a gallon of the slush usually 
called soup. It also makes a good stock from 
which any kind of soup may be made. If quan- 
tity and not quality is wanted, before serving it 
may be diluted with an equal quantity of hot 
water. 
PEA SOUP 
Is made by boiling a quart of split peas in a 
quart of water until soft, adding fresh water as 
it boils away; then rub them through a colander 
and add to four quarts of the above-mentioned 
soup. 
BEAN SOUP 
May be made in precisely the same Mray, substi- 
tuting beans for peas. The beans, however, will 
require to be soaked over night in order to 
soften them. To either of the above-mentioned 
soups, plain suet dumplings may be added, and 
eaten with it. 
PLAIN SUET DUMPLINGS. 
Two cups of flour, one teaspoonful of baking WHOLESOME FOOD. 
97 
powder and a pinch of salt are made into a stiff 
paste with as little water as possible, and divdded 
into small dumplings, and dropped into the boil- 
ing soup about twenty minutes before serving. 
Or, two cups of flour to one of beef suet, 
chopped very fine, and a pinch of salt, made 
into a stiff paste, divided, and dropped into the 
boiling soup, as before directed. 
It would be well, indeed, if every woman in 
the land, who had to provide for a workingman, 
knew and made use of the above receipts. If 
carefully and faithfully followed, a bowl of 
either of them would form the best part of as 
good a meal as any man need wish for, but 
especially if he is a working man and it be in 
cold weather. It would be infinitely better if 
his dinner-pail contained a quart of either of the 
above described soups, than any amount of the 
“wishy washy” trash called tea and coffee, with 
which many poor fellows are supplied. Such 
soup would not only warm and comfort a man, 
but it would “stick to his ribs,” and enable him, 
cheerfully, to continue his daily wTork. 98 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
MUTTON 
Stands next to beef in general utility, and it may 
be used and prepared in precisely the same way. 
An exceedingly wholesome, economical and 
highly nutritious dish for a working man and 
his family, may be made as follows: Put a cup- 
ful of pearl barley into a pot with three quarts 
of cold water, and let it boil. Then put in 
two pounds of the neck of mutton, boil gently 
for an hour, taking care to skim it occasionally. 
Add of each two carrots, turnips and onions, 
sliced, and if liked, some of the same vegeta- 
bles uncut: season well with pepper and salt. 
Boil for one hour after the vegetables have been 
put in ; add a little water, from time to time, to 
make up for loss by boiling, as the whole quan- 
tity, when done, should measure three quarts. 
Serve the broth in a tureen or deep dish, and the 
meat in a separate dish, garnished with the uncut 
vegetables. Thus the whole of the materials are 
utilized, and a very toothsome dish, for a large 
family, at an exceedingly moderate cost, is the 
result. WHOLESOME FOOD. 
99 
PORK 
Is highly nutritious, and especially adapted to 
such as lead an active life out of doors, hut it 
should always. be eaten with plenty of vegeta- 
bles, such as peas, beans, cabbage and potatoes. 
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK 
Is made by chopping up cooked potatoes and 
cabbage and mixing them together with cold 
salt pork or fish. Put them into a frying-pan, 
and keep them on the fire until they are all thor- 
oughly hot through, constantly stirring to pre- 
vent burning. This dish makes a very appetiz- 
ing breakfast, and will start a man out ready and 
able to do an honest day’s work. 
POULTRY, EGGS AND FRESH FISH 
Are each and all of them very wholesome and 
highly nutritious, but not so well adapted, as 
many other kinds of food, to the needs of the 
hard-working man, owing to a deficiency in their 
staying qualities. They may, however, be prof- 
itably made use of, for the sake of variety, and 
under circumstances where a more substantial 100 
WHOLESOME EOOD. 
meal does not seem to be called for. They are 
also especially suited for frequent use, instead of 
butchers’ meat, by those who lead a sedentary 
life, and to such as work more with the brain 
than at bodily labor. At certain seasons of the 
year poultry of all kinds are apt to be anything 
but tender. This inconvenience, however, may 
be easily overcome by adopting the following 
plan : Put the bird into a deep plate that will 
fit the bottom of an ordinary steamer; steam 
for from one to two hours, or until the meat 
begins to separate from the exposed joints. 
Pour off, from time to time, any juice which 
may be extracted, and when sufficiently done 
put it into a quick oven and bake for an hour, 
or until it is thoroughly browned; while in the 
oven it should also be well basted. By this plan 
you will not only have a large quantity of very 
strong broth, but even the toughest bird will be 
made tender by this process ; and it will also be 
more juicy than if it had been baked at once. 
The steam permeates every part of it, and not WHOLESOME FOOD. 
101 
only breaks down the fibres, but also supplies 
the place of the natural fluids extracted. 
Among fish, those having white flesh, and 
which are covered with scales, are by far the 
most wholesome and easily digested, while those 
which are smooth in the skin are not only more 
oily, but are also more unwholesome and diffi- 
cult of digestion. Almost all kinds of fish are 
more wholesome and easily digested when boiled ; 
some, however, are very nice when broiled, but 
no fish is as wholesome when fried as when 
cooked by any other means. 
What is commonly known as 
TWICE LAID 
Is composed of cold salt fish and potatoes, well 
beaten together and fried in cakes. It forms a 
very good and sustaining breakfast for a working 
man, and is especially suited to such as abstain 
from meat on certain days in the year. 
CHEESE 
Is also a very appropriate article of food for the 102 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
working man. Three or four slices of good, 
wholesome bread and a lump of sound cheese, 
well masticated and washed down with half a 
pint, or even a pint, of good sound beer, would 
form a lunch not to be despised by any working 
man. 
MILK 
Is a very wholesome, nutritious and life-sustain- 
ing article of diet, and should be much more 
freely consumed by all classes of people. It is 
both meat and drink, and should always be 
looked upon as such; otherwise, especially if 
swallowed at a draught, like water, it may, to 
some people, prove very indigestible, and even 
hurtful. 
Milk, when taken alone, should always be 
swallowed slowly, allowing each mouthful to 
become mixed with saliva, and also allowing time 
for sufficient gastric juice to be poured out to 
digest each mouthful swallowed. When used in 
this way milk is, indeed, meat and drink, and, in 
my opinion, much more of the former than of WHOLESOME EOOD. 
103 
the latter quality, and will help to make a good 
substantial meal for any man. 
We will now proceed to consider what may be 
called 
MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES 
OF FOOD. 
Many people, in this country, despise beef 
dripping, deeming it lit only for “ the swill-pail.” 
Such people are not only sadly mistaken, but are 
also exceedingly wickedly wasteful. It is infin- 
itely more wholesome and nutritions than three- 
fourths of the butter which is so readily sold, 
and so eagerly bought, by people who are as 
easily sold as the butter. It is not merely for 
making paste for pies and puddings that it is 
useful, but it is also excellent when eaten upon 
hot toast. In this way it is better than any but- 
ter. To obtain it pure, all that is necessary is to 
pour off the contents of the dripping-pan into a 
basin; let it get cold; take off the dripping, 104 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
melt it again, and strain it through muslin. 
When cold, preserve for use. 
DRIPPING CRUST 
Is made by rubbing half a pound of dripping in 
a pound and a half of Hour; make into a paste, 
with as little tepid water as possible; roll out to 
any required thickness, and use it at once. 
PLAIN BUTTER PASTE 
Is made in the same way, by substituting a quar- 
ter of a pound of butter for the half pound of 
dripping, above directed. 
PUFF PASTE 
Is made by rubbing a quarter of a pound of but- 
ter into two pounds of flour; use as little water 
as possible, and make it into a paste as quickly 
as you can ; roll it out to about the thickness of 
a quarter of an inch, cover it lightly with butter, 
sprinkle with flour, double it up, and roll out 
again. This buttering, flouring, doubling up 
and rolling are to be repeated four or five times, 
using up,'in the whole process, an extra half a 
pound of butter. WHOLESOME FOOD. 
105 
RAISED PIE PASTE. 
Boil a quarter of a pound of lard in one- 
eighth of a pint of water; pour, while boiling- 
hot, into two pounds of flour, and well mix it 
together. When this is done knead it into a 
stiff dough, and form it into any shape you like, 
reserving sufficient to form the top of the pie. 
PIES. 
Fresh or canned fruits are best made into pies, 
in deep dishes, thus: Line the sides of your dish 
with puff paste; put into the center of the dish 
an empty teacup, turned upside down, to catch 
the juice ; fill up your dish with alternate layers 
of fruit and sugar; put on your top crust, make 
a small hole in the centre of it, put into a slow 
oven, and bake for an hour. 
OPEN PIES 
Are best made by simply lining the plate or dish 
with puff paste, and baking it, in a quick oven, 
at once. When it is quite done, put in your 
fruit, which has previously been cooked, or jam 106 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
or whatever you want in your pies. This is a 
much better plan than to bake your fruit, or cook 
it twice. 
PUDDINGS. 
Plain suet pudding is made by mixing half a 
pound of finely chopped suet with one pound of 
flour, adding as little water and fingering it as 
little as possible. Scald a cloth and flour it well, 
put in your pudding, and boil or steam for an 
hour and a half. This is a very wholesome and 
excellent dish for children. It may be eaten 
either with meat gravy, or with jam, sugar, 
sweet sauce or molasses. 
BATTER PUDDING 
Is made by beating up three eggs, adding eight 
tablespoonfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of bak- 
ing powder, a pinch of salt, and as much milk as 
will make it into a thin batter. Well butter a 
deep dish, pour in the batter, put into a quick 
oven and bake for three-quarters to one hour. 
It may be eaten with sugar and butter, sweet WHOLESOME FOOD. 
107 
sauce, or stewed fruit, or with meat gravy if pre- 
ferred. 
APPLE DUMPLINGS. 
Pare, core and cot into quarters as many apples 
as are required. Make as much butter or drip- 
ping paste as will cover the apples. Into the 
space from which the core has been taken put 
three or four cloves, close up the four quarters 
and mould a piece of the paste neatly and evenly 
round it. If to be boiled or steamed, each will 
have to be put into a little separate cloth, which 
has been previously scalded and floured. If they 
are to be baked, they may be simply put into 
the baking dish. In any case, cook for three- 
quarters to one hour. 
ROLEY-POLEY- PUDDING. 
Half a pound of suet, chopped very fine, is to 
be mixed with one pound of flour; make into a 
stiff paste and roll out to about one-quarter of an 
inch in thickness; spread this with jam, well- 
washed currants, mince-meat, etc., etc.; roll it 
up, pinch the ends together, put into a scalded 108 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
and floured cloth, well secured, and steam or boil 
for an hour and a half or two hours. 
BOILED RICE PUDDING. 
Well wash the rice and put it into a pot with 
plenty of water; let it boil until it is done and 
all the water has been taken up, care being taken 
that it does not burn. When done put into a 
well-buttered mould to set, or eat it just as it is, 
with stewed fruit, sweet sauce, etc., etc. 
BA.KED RICE PUDDING. 
Boil a quarter of a pound of rice in a quart of 
milk, care being taken that it does not burn ; 
when it begins to thicken, take it off the fire and 
allow it to cool; then stir in a lump of butter 
and sugar to the taste. Well butter your dish 
and put in your rice, and bake it in a moderately 
quick oven for three-quarters of an hour. Rais- 
ins, currants, sliced apples, indeed any kind of 
fruit, may be stirred in before baking, if pre- 
ferred. WHOLESOME FOOD. 
109 
BREAD PUDDING. 
Break up your stale bread into a dish; pour 
over sufficient boiled milk to soak it; cover it 
up for a quarter of an hour, then beat it into a 
tine pulp, stirring in a lump of butter. Beat up 
three or four eggs; add sugar and grated lemon 
peel to taste ; half a pound of raisins, stoned and 
chopped, half a pound of currants, well washed 
and picked ; a little salt. Mix these with the 
bread, beat them all together, and make it of the 
consistence of thick batter by adding a little 
milk if necessary. Butter your dish, put in your 
pudding and bake for half an hour. 
PLUM PUDDING. 
Take half a pound of flour, one pound of stale 
bread-crumbs, one pound of finely-chopped suet, 
one pound of currants (after having been well 
washed, picked over and dried), one pound of 
raisins, stoned and chopped, three-quarters of a 
pound of brown sugar, one-quarter of a pound 
each of candied orange, lemon and citron-peel, 110 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
one ounce of ground cinnamon, a quarter of an 
ounce of ground ginger, one nutmeg, grated, and 
a little salt; mix these well together. Beat up 
eight eggs and add a little milk, if necessary. 
Mix these with the other ingredients; make it 
stiff but not too thick ; lastly, add half a pint of 
rum or brandy ; well mix all together. Having 
well scalded and floured your pudding cloth, put 
in the mixed ingredients, gather up the edges of 
your cloth, tie very tight, and put into a pot 
with plenty of room and filled with boiling 
water; it must be kept constantly boiling for at 
least seven hours, adding boiling water as that in 
the pot boils away. 
This is a pudding fit for a king, and if prop- 
erly made and thoroughly cooked, will keep for 
an indefinite time. 
A much plainer pudding, but equally good, 
may be made by using half the quantity of fruit 
and spices, and substituting therefor more flour 
and bread-crumbs, or leaving it just as it is, with 
half the fruits and spices withdrawn. WHOLESOME EOOD. 
111 
A GOOD LUNCH CAKE. 
Beat together four eggs; warm half a pound 
of butter and add it to three-quarters of a pound 
of sugar; beat well into a cream with a wooden 
spoon; add the eggs and one pint of sweet milk ; 
mix well and sift in one quart of flour in which 
two good teaspoonfuls of baking powder have 
been previously mixed; then add half a pound 
each of well washed and dried currants, stoned 
raisins and mixed candied peel; beat all well 
together, and bake in a moderate oven for one 
hour and a half to two hours, or until thor- 
oughly done. 
GINGERBREAD. 
Beat well three eggs; add one cup of sweet 
milk; warm half a pound of butter, add to it 
three-quarters of a pound of brown sugar and 
two cups of molasses; beat well together and 
then add the milk and eggs; stir well together 
and sift in five pounds of flour, two and a half 
teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and two table- 
spoonfuls of ground ginger. Mix all of these 112 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
thoroughly together; cut into whatever shapes 
you please, and bake at once in a quick oven. 
FRUITS 
Of all kinds, when ripe and in their season, are 
exceedingly wholesome and beneficial, and should 
be largely partaken of by the working classes. 
Although they contain but little real nutriment, 
they, nevertheless, serve many very useful pur- 
poses in the animal economy, especially in hot 
weather, when they act as laxatives and refriger- 
ants. They may be eaten either cooked or raw. 
Seed fruits, such as grapes, currants, strawberries, 
raspberries, etc., are certainly the most whole- 
some, while stone fruits, with the exception, per- 
haps, of peaches, must be partaken of with more 
caution. Apples, pears, oranges, lemons, bananas, 
etc., are exceedingly wholesome, and may be 
freely made use of at all seasons of the year. WHOLESOME FOOD. 
113 
DRINK. 
If it be true that man needs food, it is equally 
so that he needs something to drink. I shall, 
therefore, say a few words upon this important 
branch of the subject. Liquids are necessary, 
not only to supply the demands made by per- 
spiration, evaporation, exhalation and excre- 
tion, but they also serve to liquefy the food, 
and so render it easier of digestion and assimila- 
tion. As a general rule, however, much more 
tluid is taken than is actually necessary for these 
or any other purposes, and this excess is always 
productive of injury. 
An average quantity of three pints a day is 
all that is absolutely necessary to meet all the 
demands of health. 
1 have already advised the free use of milk, 
but inasmuch as it contains a very large amount 
of solid material, it can hardly be considered in 
the light of an article of drink alone; neverthe- 
less, I will here repeat that it is an exceedingly 
8 114 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
wholesome, nutritious, and, when properly used, 
an easily digestible food, and as such should be 
largely consumed by working men. 
WATER, 
Pure and simple, is undoubtedly the natural 
drink for both man and beast. But the exigen- 
cies of human life, both civilized and savage, 
have demonstrated the fact that something else 
besides mere water is required to satisfy what is, 
apparently a perfectly natural, and if not abused, 
an innocent craving. 
A longing for something which will produce 
an exhilarating, and yet, withal, a soothing effect, 
not only upon the physical frame, but also on 
the brain and nerves. 
In support of this assertion it is a curious fact 
that savages, semi-savages and civilized peoples, 
living in the most varied and remote portions 
of this globe, have, unwittingly and untaught, 
selected various substances supplied by nature, 
which are used in a variety of ways, but all of WHOLESOME FOOD. 
115 
which seem to supply this all but universal crav- 
ing. Furthermore, the great majority of these 
substances contain an absolutely identical active 
principle, and in the few which do not contain 
this identical principle, there is an ingredient 
which, though not chemically the same, never- 
theless produces the same physiological effects. 
For all general and practical purposes this 
principle may be called 
“THEIN,” 
And its effects are to ward off or palliate fatigue, 
to soothe the brain and nerves, and to prevent 
undue wasting of the tissues. 
All substances containing this, or its allied prin- 
ciples, when used in moderation, are undoubt- 
edly beneficial, but abused or used in excess, I 
unhesitatingly say are really more injurious, in 
constitutional effect, than over-indulgence in in- 
toxicating liquors, properly so-called. I11 the for- 
mer case, the effects produced are far more deep- 
seated and intractable, whereas, except in very 116 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
aggravated and confirmed cases, the effects of the 
abuse of the latter are far more evanescent and 
easily removed. 
More than half of the headaches, neuralgias and 
nervous pain in general, not excepting even par- 
alysis, are in reality, though but too frequently 
unsuspectedly, caused by 
“THEISM,” 
Or a too free indulgence in tea, coffee and such 
like substances. 
There are upwards of thirty substances, pro- 
duced by as great a variety of sources, which are 
used in the place of what are known to us as tea 
and coffee, and all of which, when used in 
excess, will either produce downright intoxica- 
tion, or simply enervation or partial insensibility; 
and even among ourselves, I am fully convinced 
that coffee may be blamed for more real consti- 
tutional injury than whiskey, or all of the com- 
mon intoxicants put together. WHOLESOME FOOD 
117 
Nevertheless, both 
TEA AND COFFEE 
Are not only harmless, but may be considered 
beneficial or even necessary to the working 
classes, especially to those who work hard out of 
doors. It is upon those who lead a lazy and sed- 
entary life, in doors, that these substances pro- 
duce the most injurious effects. But, of the 
two, coffee is far better suited to the needs of 
the w'orking man, it being possessed of far better 
staying qualities than tea. 
Instead, however, of the “ wishy washy ” trash 
with which his pail is usually filled, it should 
contain a quart of really good coffee, made as 
follows: 
TO MAKE GOOD COFFEE. 
Half an ounce of pure coffee, well roasted and 
finely ground, is to be put into a scalded pot, and 
over it should be- poured no more than half a 
pint of sharply boiling water; allow it to boil 
up until all the coffee-grounds have sank to the 118 
WHOLESOME FOOD. 
bottom of the pot; then add a pint and a half of 
sweet milk, and allow the whole to become suf- 
ficiently hot to drink comfortably. 
Such coffee as this would “ charm the heart of 
even a wheelbarrow,” if it had one. But, in 
order to obtain it in perfection, the above direc- 
tions must be faithfully followed, especially in 
the matter of grinding. It must not be in junks 
such as are usually turned out of the mill at the 
grocery. It will even pay a man to have his 
own mill and grind his own coffee; he would 
then not only be able to grind it as fine as he 
chooses, but he will also know wdiat coffee he is 
getting, a thing not to be laughed at, now-a-days. 
In the matter of nutriment, however, 
COCOA 
Far exceeds either tea or coffee, and when well 
made, is admirably adapted to the wants of the 
working classes. There are now several very 
good brands in the market, and the proper direc- 
tions always accompany every packet; these 
should always be faithfully followed. CONCLUSION. 
119 
CONCLUSION. 
Having discussed the relative merits of the 
various articles used, both as food and drink, by 
man, all that remains for me is to add a few con- 
cluding remarks, as the importance of the sub- 
ject strictly demands. 
In writing this short essay, I can conscien- 
tiously say that I have been guided by the sim- 
ple desire to aid in a good cause, for I am thor- 
oughly convinced that if, not only the working- 
classes but people of every grade and walk in 
life, would only live more in accordance with the 
dictates of nature and of common sense, not only 
should we have healthier and stronger fathers, 
mothers and children, but we should have a 
more contented because more healthy people. 
There would be more real honesty, and conse- 
quently less dissatisfaction and variance between 
labor and capital. Every man would do an 
honest day’s work, and would receive an honest 120 
CONCLUSION. 
day’s pay. Even the very government would be 
better administered. 
At all events, for the genuineness and prac- 
tical utility of all the advice and receipts herein 
given, I can and do personally vouch for and 
guarantee, and if, in any way, I have been instru- 
mental in forwarding the interests of the work- 
ing classes, I shall, indeed, be well pleased. 
Finally, I can confidently assure the reader 
that I have, myself, practically experienced the 
truth of the saying of an older and wiser man 
than I am, to wit: “ A well-filled stomach gives 
a contented mind,” and every one knows that 
“ a contented mind is a continual feast.”