Revelations of Egyptian mysteries : history of the Creation, the causes and the progress of the degeneration of nature, the conflagration and manner of the resurrection of the world, as allegorically represented by the Egyptian philosophy: showing the justice of the inculcations of the ancient Egyptian priests and wise men, teaching that salt was fatally hurtful to human nature : with a discourse on the maintenance and acquisition of health, on principles in accordance with the wisdom of the ancients / by Robert Howard.

  • Howard, Robert, approximately 1812-1854.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Revelations of Egyptian mysteries : history of the Creation, the causes and the progress of the degeneration of nature, the conflagration and manner of the resurrection of the world, as allegorically represented by the Egyptian philosophy: showing the justice of the inculcations of the ancient Egyptian priests and wise men, teaching that salt was fatally hurtful to human nature : with a discourse on the maintenance and acquisition of health, on principles in accordance with the wisdom of the ancients / by Robert Howard. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    stniice of improper substances being had recourse to in order to make up for those deficiencies; for which purpose hot and acrid seasonings and salt have been used. Those hot and acrid substances are inimical to the human constitution, and the palate by long custom acquires a liking for those condiments, although originally repulsive to it. When, as is commonly the case, human beings derive their nour- ishment almost entirely from animal food with bread and vegetables, the constitution does not get a suffi- cient supply of the acid and saccharine principles, ])articularly the former, with which it cannot dis- pense for any considerable time without sustaining great damage. We see, for example, the terrible effects which arise from feeding much on salt flesh, in the production of scurvy, which subsides on the administration of vegetable acid ; showing that it was the absence of the acid principle in the food, in conjunction with much salt, which caused that dreadful disease. Taking the above view for our guide, the method to be adopted in order to render vegetables and flesh as suitable as possible for human food, is clearly apparent. It is evident that it must be accom- plished, not by the use of hot, acrid substances and salt for condiments and seasonings, but by the admixture of acidulous fruits and saccharine sub- stances, or of the vegetable acids, of which the acetous, or pure vinegar, is amongst the best. Such an application of the acid and saccharine principles is not entirely new ; but they have not been made use of, for that purpose, to any thing like the extent which is necessary in order to be most conducive to health.