The code of health and longevity, or a general view of the rules and principles calculated for the preservation of health, and the attainment of long life / by Sir John Sinclair.

  • Sinclair, John, Sir, 1754-1835.
Date:
1816
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The code of health and longevity, or a general view of the rules and principles calculated for the preservation of health, and the attainment of long life / by Sir John Sinclair. 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.

    173/668
    serve vegetable or animal food. Drying grapes, is an idea which nature itself pointed out to the savages of hot cli- mates; and, as it appears that several tribes or nations had originally no other inode of dressing their food, but by ex- posing it to the rays of the sun*, this would furnish a hint of the means by which animal food might be preserved. Indeed, in dry climates, fish are easily cured by exposure to the sun and air, with the addition of saline particles, or even washing them in salt water. 2. Accident would soon discover, even to wandering savages, that the smoke of the fires they used, might be made applicable to the same purpose, more especially with a little addition of salt. The use of artificial heat was afterwards extended in different ways, in particular to the baking of fruit. By evaporating the water from fruits, that is, by drying them, and expelling both air and moisture, we lessen their disposition to ferment, and make them less flatulent and more nutritive. 3. Salting is a process of very general use, though,, with a few exceptions, confined to animal food. Sour crout, and salted mushrooms, the former used in Germany, and the other in Russia, and salted olives, are almost the only ex- ceptions. The most proper kinds of animal substances to be salted, are those that possess in their composition a large proportion of oil or fat. On this extensive subject, the following observations occur: 1. It is most useful to apply the salt to the article cured, as soon as possible after the death of the animal: it is bv this means that the Dutch cure their herring in such perfection. At Algiers, from the heat of the climate, they are obliged to salt their meat immediately after it is killed; and in consequence of that plan being adopted, their salted provisions, it is said, are peculiarly excellent. This is a hint of which we ought to avail ourselves in this country; and a moment’s conside- ration must satisfy every reflecting mind, how much better the meat must be, when salted before any putrefaction has had time to commence, than after. 2. Much also must depend upon the purity of the salt; and, it is unfortunate, that in this country, financial regulations should prevent that valuable article from being properly manufactured. 3. Salted provisions, when imperfectly cured, after putre- faction has begun, or wh&n improper materials have been • Goguet’s Origin of Laws, vol. i. p, 81,