DEPARTMENT OF PRACTICAL CASE MANAGEMENT


Tomatoes are less affected by the choking and canning process than most any other fruit or vegetable on the market. Tomatoes will often pick up undesirable fertilizer elements from the soil and only partially convert them when grown under artificial conditions. Therefore, the widespread prejudice against the hothouse product is not without foundation.


NOTES ON FOODS.

PERMISSIONS are very attractive in appearance as well as exceptionally sweet and pleasing to the taste. The astringent quality disappears as the fruit softens and ripens. They are especially delicious when served nearly ice cold. The color of the fruit varies from yellow to orange and red. Some strains resemble certain varieties of tomatoes in size, shape and color.

The persimmon tree belong to the ebony family. The bark of the tree is also very astringent and is supposed to possess tonic properties. Persimmons are rich in carbohydrates, in potassium, magnesium and phosphoric acid. They are definitely alkalinizing in their effect. They are also mildly laxative.

As is often the case with olives some people have to acquire a taste for permissions. This fall and winter would be a good time to get better acquainted with this very valuable and luscious fruit.

The more one places the emphasis upon natural foods the better the outlook for radiant health and untiring energy. Fatigue symptoms are generally caused by nutritional deficiency, food toxaemias or both combined.

PINEAPPLES grow in tropical and subtropical regions. They are one of the most popular fruits on the market and deservedly so. Pineapples have a traditional reputation for “strengthening a weak stomach” and overcoming constipation. They are also mentioned as corrective in cases of delayed menstruation and for “curing nervous asthma”, whatever that may mean. Taken in liberal amounts this fruit is somewhat diuretic. The easiest way to attack a pineapple is to cut it in slices like a loaf of bread, then peel the rind off each individual slice.

Eat the entire slice, core and all. No sugar is required. By all means avoid the sweetening habit and in so doing score another health credit. The pineapple flavor is a favorite one for ice cream. The raw fruit should always be used if possible. Canned pineapple is a disappointing dish especially if one is sold on health ideas or becomes acquainted with the superior flavor of the raw fruit. Canned pineapple juice is just another dose, but the freshly expressed, raw, unsweetened juice is indeed a treat and a health drink of the first magnitude.

PAPAYA is fruit familiar to those who occasionally sojourn in tropical and subtropical climates. It is too perishable to transport on a commercial scale. An acquired taste is often necessary for the enjoyment of the papaya but it is a valuable and substantial natural food. It is said to stimulate gastric secretion and is therefore regarded as beneficial in cases of digestive dysfunction. A popular drink is made from the juice. The fat content of the papaya is high but not so great as that of the avocado. MANGO is the edible fruit of a tropical tree allied to the sumac. Some varieties are large, fleshy and of a delicious flavor.

Mangoes are obtainable in northern cities but only in the larger “fancy” fruit markets. When just in the pink of condition they are wonderfully pleasing and truly delicious. In India they are said to be very popular and are supposed to have “blood cleansing and fever-soothing properties”. Mangoes are also said to induce perspiration but these claims we are unable to verify. The fact remains that they are another one of the natural health foods and well worth their cost whenever available.

POMEGRANATE: We must admit that our enthusiasm wanes when it comes to this fruit although we are bound to approve it on principle.

Pomegranates should be cut in two and eaten with a spoon. Only the fruit cells should be ingested. The skin and the reticular structure contain too much tannic acid for gustatory comfort.

Pomegranates contain liberal amounts of fruit sugar and vitamins B and C. The pomegranate tree belongs to the myrtle family and apparently originated in Asia, that ancient land of culture and primeval luxury of which we know so little and to which we owe so much.

TOMATOES are classed both as a fruit and as a vegetable. In common with other members of the important nightshade (solanum) family they apparently originated in the Western Hemisphere and most probably in Peru.

When first introduced tomatoes were called love apples and many people regarded them with suspicion. Even today they are often considered entirely too acid for ad lib. consumption. This view is an erroneous one barring cases of food allergies occasionally met with in tuberculous patients and very rarely in the absence of this dyscrasia.

Tomatoes are generally recognized as one of the most important foods both from a nutritional and a commercial stand point. They are subjected to a variety of processing. In the order of their health value we would place garden ripened tomatoes first then the fresh raw juice, next canned tomatoes and plain tomato juice. Tomato juice cocktail is not a health food or drink, as it is over seasoned and if taken too routinely it will pervert the digestive enzymes to a considerable extent. Catsup and tomato sauce should be reserved for very unusual occasions. In fact it is better to do without the strong spices and hot seasonings altogether.

Tomatoes are less affected by the choking and canning process than most any other fruit or vegetable on the market. Tomatoes will often pick up undesirable fertilizer elements from the soil and only partially convert them when grown under artificial conditions. Therefore, the widespread prejudice against the hothouse product is not without foundation. The eye and the nose are good detectors of inferior quality as far as this vegetable is concerned.

Eugene Underhill
Dr Eugene Underhill Jr. (1887-1968) was the son of Eugene and Minnie (Lewis) Underhill Sr. He was a graduate of Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. A homeopathic physician for over 50 years, he had offices in Philadelphia.

Eugene passed away at his country home on Spring Hill, Tuscarora Township, Bradford County, PA. He had been in ill health for several months. His wife, the former Caroline Davis, whom he had married in Philadelphia in 1910, had passed away in 1961. They spent most of their marriage lives in Swarthmore, PA.

Dr. Underhill was a member of the United Lodge of Theosophy, a member of the Philadelphia County Medical Society, and the Pennsylvania Medical Society. He was also the editor of the Homœopathic Recorder.