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Solution Manual for Selling Building

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Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

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CHAPTER 2
ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN SELLING

Outline of Chapter
I. Ethics and Personal Selling
A. Ethics and Partnering Relationships
B. Factors Influencing the Ethical Behavior of Salespeople
1. Personal, Company, and Customer Needs
2. Company Policies
3. Values of Significant Others
4. Laws
5. A Personal Code of Ethics II. Selling Ethics and Relationships
B. Relationships with Customers
1. Deception
2. Bribes, Gifts, and Entertainment
3. Special Treatment
4. Confidential Information
5. Backdoor Selling
C. Relationships with the Salesperson’s Company
1. Expense Accounts
2. Reporting Work-Time Information and Activities
3. Switching Jobs
D. Relationships with Colleagues
1. Sexual Harassment
2. Taking Advantage of Other Salespeople
E. Relationships with Competitors
V. Legal Issues

Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGrawHill
Education.
Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

A. Uniform Commercial Code


1. Agency
2. Sale
3. Title and Risk of Loss
4. Oral versus Written Agreements
5. Obligations and Performance
6. Warranties
B. Misrepresentation or Sales Puffery
C. Illegal Business Practices
1. Business Defamation
2. Reciprocity
3. Tying Agreements
4. Conspiracy and Collusion
5. Interference with Competitors
6. Restrictions on Resellers
7. Price Discrimination
8. Privacy laws
9. Do-Not-Call Law
VI. International Ethical and Legal Issues
A. Resolving Cultural Differences
B. Legal Issues VII. Selling Yourself

Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGrawHill
Education.
Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

Teaching Suggestions
1. Begin by asking your students to read through the opening profile regarding Teradata’s Jim
Keller. Ask students about his motivation for working as a sales representative, especially since
across his career he’s worked for a number of companies but only had the one account - FedEx.
Then ask them to define the term "representative". The definition that works best for this class is
that a representative is someone who acts for someone else. Why does someone act for someone
else? Because they either can’t or won’t act for themselves. Then ask students "Who does the
sales representative represent?" Answers include the company, the customer, self and family,
industry, and profession. You can have other answers such as your university, society, and so
forth. Then list the various elements of the company, such as manufacturing, management,
customer service, accounts receivable, credit, and so forth. This leads into a great discussion on
why customers need salespeople to act for them - due to imbalance of information and the
customer’s need to rely on the salesperson to interpret the situation and recommend the right
solution, as well as the need for the customer to represent his/her needs back to the company. You
might ask when does a rep represent the customer – it is in the sales call when talking to the
customer as well as when back at the company. Now go back to their responses about
motivation – how can they relate their motivation for sales positions to this act of representation?
This discussion can accomplish several things. First, you can discuss how salespeople represent
the customer to the company and how important that responsibility is. The company depends on
that form of representation to get crucial market information to decision makers, not to mention
the impact on customer satisfaction and retention. Second, it helps set the stage for later
discussions about partnering with internal partners (Chapter 16) and role conflict (Chapter 17).
Most relevant to the immediate chapter, however, is that you can discuss how role conflict can
tempt someone to act unethically. For example, pressure to achieve what management wants
could cause a rep to sell something that the service department believes is inappropriate for a
particular situation. Or, a customer could want immediate delivery that causes the rep to lie to
shipping in order to get what she needs.
2. Add to this discussion the question of what makes a behavior unethical. For example, is asking
questions unethical? Review Exhibit 2.6, where one doctor has said he doesn’t appreciate and
won’t allow salespeople to ask questions. His perspective is very interesting and makes great
discussion in class. Ask students: How can you tell what a customer’s needs are if you can’t ask
questions? Then turn the tables a little. What about asking questions about the buyer's financial
status and using that information to set the price? Assume, for example, that you sell franchises.
You ask potential buyers for audited financial statements and tell them that you want to make
sure they have the capital to invest in such a franchise. Then you also have them fill out a
personality profile "to make sure they have the entrepreneur's profile." Then you use this
information to set the price and to alter your presentation to fit their personality profile. Is this
fair? Is it ethical? Why or why not? (By the way, this example came from a former student who
encountered these practices at her former employer.) These questions make for a good discussion
on what is fair.
3. Next, you could move the discussion toward the ethical conflicts confronting salespeople. Look at
Discussion Question 9, as these are real situations. You could discuss how the goals of the
salesperson, his or her company, and customers can all differ. This discussion could be made very
interesting by having your students explore why salespeople confront ethical dilemmas more than
accountants, engineers, and production managers. Consider all the opportunities for deception,

Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGrawHill
Education.
Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

bribes, gifts, special treatment, etc. Talk about how easily even legitimate things like
entertainment could lead to unethical behavior. It is also important for students to understand the
concept of persuasion versus manipulation. The decision is ultimately the buyer’s to make;
manipulation takes away from that buyer’s right to make an informed decision. This class, while
students can learn tools that can help them engage in unethical behavior, is about helping students
develop tools that will enable buyers to make informed decisions.
4. Ask students to identify the rationalizations people make about engaging in unethical behavior.
Suggest that if they find themselves using some of these statements, it may be an indication that
the behavior they are about to engage in may not be ethical.
5. This last discussion is a good lead-in to some questions one could ask oneself to help identify
potentially unethical behaviors. We have found this exercise to be especially useful: Have your
students write down a behavior they have personally experienced when interacting with a
salesperson that they felt was potentially unethical. Discuss the behaviors and use the questions in
as a useful check list to evaluate the behaviors.
6. We feel the best way to convey the principles of ethics to students is to have them confront
situations, make choices, and justify them. Cases in the text provide opportunities for students to
confront such issues and make for great class discussion.
7. After a discussion of all the ways one could run afoul of the law, you could suggest ways of
avoiding legal problems by discussing guidelines to reduce the chances of violating laws. Here
again, some examples help students to solidify these concepts in their minds. The more concrete
you can make this, the better.
8. Sexual harassment is an important issue to discussion. Salespeople can encounter harassment in
dealing with customers, their colleagues, and their supervisor. In this chapter, we focus more on
sexual harassment arising from customer interactions. Issues concerning harassment from
colleagues and supervisors are discussed more in chapter 16 on the relationship between the
salesperson and his or her firm.
9. Finally, the issues of ethical and legal issues should be related back to developing long-term,
partnering relationships with customer. You might ask the students how importance ethical and
legal issues are in the different type of relationships.
Suggested Answers to Questions and Problems

1. There are certainly many ethical and legal issues in selling, as this chapter demonstrates. Do
you think there are more ethical and legal issues in selling than other jobs, such as accounting,
finance, retail store management, or the like? Which issues raised in the chapter likely to be
present, no matter the job, and which are likely to be specific to sales jobs?
Interestingly, many of the bigger cases involving unethical behavior did not involve sales
activities, though they may have involved customers. For example, making and selling faulty
products in spite of awareness of the fault (Toyota’s acceleration problem) is an example where
customers were affected, but it was not salespeople at fault. Whether the sales profession is more
unethical or not has never been empirically demonstrated; however, some issues, such as
harassment, are issues in any job, not just sales. In addition, the principles that guide ethical
decision-making are applicable in all fields. The nature and perhaps number of issues may be
different, but the same sets of principles can guide an individual in resolving those issues.

2. Do you think the Internet has made salespeople more ethical? Why or why not?

Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGrawHill
Education.
Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

One argument could be that the Internet makes all behavior so public that it adds a watchdog
element to selling not present before. Another argument is that the Internet offers so much
information on products and services that it is hard to lie about them. But some students will feel
that human nature hasn’t changed and unethical behavior has been untouched by the internet.

3. For centuries the guideline for business transactions was the Latin term caveat emptor (let the
buyer beware). This principle suggests that the seller is not responsible for the buyer's welfare. Is
this principle still appropriate in modern business transactions? Why or why not?
Traditionally business was conducted by traveling merchants who did not have repeated contacts
with buyers. Since the merchant's future business would not be affected if the buyer was
dissatisfied, the buyers were responsible for protecting themselves in transactions. The seller had
little incentive to satisfy the customer's needs.
Several factors have changed the nature of interactions between buyers and sellers. First, sellers
are now large firms in fixed locations interacting with the same buyers over and over. Second,
modern communications facilitates the flow of information between buyers. Third, the level of
competition has increased and thus there is more emphasis on achieving long-term competitive
advantages.
Caveat emptor is no longer an appropriate method for conducting business transactions. The
changing conditions mentioned above mean that it is in the best interest of sellers to be concerned
about buyer satisfaction. If buyers are not satisfied, they will not make purchases from the seller
in the future and they will communicate their dissatisfaction to other buyers. Developing
customer loyalty by maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction is a method of gaining a
long-term competitive advantage.

4. What’s the difference between manipulation and persuasion? Give two examples of what would
be considered manipulation and alternatives of acceptable persuasion. Then describe how your
examples of manipulation might fall into the realm of illegal activity and under which law or
laws.
The difference is the customer’s ability or opportunity to make his or her own decision.
Manipulation, by leaving out information or lying, takes informed choice away from the
customer. While examples will vary, they will likely relate to things like failing to tell a customer
that the product won’t work in certain circumstances or something like that.

5. Some professors believe that ethics cannot be taught. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Profs who believe ethics cannot be taught are really saying that they believe that they cannot
make someone act appropriately. That is probably true. However, sometimes people engage in
unethical behavior through ignorance rather than intent. They are deceived by the rationalizations
that others may offer, for example. What can be taught is how to recognize unethical situations
and how to respond.

6. Your customer asks you what you think of a competitor’s product. You know from experience with
other customers that it is very unreliable and breaks down frequently. Further, given this
particular customer’s needs, you expect that it would be an even bigger problem if the customer
chose this product. How do you respond? Be specific as to what you would say.

Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGrawHill
Education.
Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

While answers will vary from student to student, they should have the elements of avoiding direct
comparison regarding reliability. Customers do not appreciate it when a salesrep talks down the
competition. The point can be made by stressing the reliability of your product, and by asking
how the other product will satisfy certain needs. By letting the customer respond to questions
about how important those needs are, the customer can usually figure it out.

7. Your company has a contact management software system where you enter in all of the
information you can about your customers. The company wants to partner with another firm to
comarket products. They want to give your database to the other firm so the other firm can create
marketing pieces and e-mail them to your clients. Is this legal? Is it ethical? Why or why not?
This is not a smart idea, for if your clients find out your company did this, they may not trust you
in the future. What is appropriate is to for your company to email the offer to those in your
database who have given you permission to email them with information about offers . If your
company doesn’t have permission to email them with offers, then don’t.

8. One of our students shared the story of how his family was able to spend their vacation on a
private Caribbean island – no exaggeration – as a guest of one of his father’s clients. While that
may be extreme, what might the ethical issues be with accepting a gift from a customer? How
should you respond if offered a gift?
This true scenario causes a number of issues. At some point, it is likely that the client will call
this gift into accounting, wanting something back from the salesperson such as a lower price. Yet,
friendships do form between salespeople and their customers – and within the context of
friendship, it makes perfect sense.

9. For each of the following situations, evaluate the salesperson’s action and indicate what you
think the appropriate action would be.
a. In an electronics store, salespeople are offered an extra $50 for each sale of HDTV
models that are being closed out. The manufacturer is offering the spiff, and management is fully
aware of it. Salespeople are encouraged to not mention either the spiff or that these are close-out
models.

Offering incentives to the salespeople is not illegal and students may not consider it to be
unethical. The unethical aspect of these spiffs is that the customers in the retail store do not know
that the retail salespeople are being paid to promote close-out products without letting customers
know that.

b. A customer asks if you can remove a safety feature because it slows down the operators
of the equipment.
Clearly, if a salesperson says yes and someone gets hurt, the manufacturer of the equipment will
be held liable for any injuries, as will the employer. We have observed salespeople say, no, don’t
do that because it voids the warranty. We think that is a rather weak response.

c. The custom of the trade is that competitive firms submit bids based on specifications
provided by the buyer; then the buyer places an order with the firm offering the lowest bid. After

Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGrawHill
Education.
Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

a salesperson submits a bid, the purchasing agent calls him and indicates the bid is too high; the
lowest bid so far is almost 8 percent lower than that. The buyer asks the salesperson to submit
another bid at a price at least 10 percent lower.
Probably unethical – the practice is not only unethical but illegal if the situation is a government
bid but for commercial bids, the practice would be considered unethical if the posted RFP said all
bids would be open at a certain time and a decision made.

d. A few months after joining a company, you learn about a credit card that gives you a 20
percent cash refund on meals at certain restaurants. You get the card and start taking clients only
to those restaurants offering the rebate, pocketing the rebate.
The practice is certainly legal and some might argue that it is no different from using a credit card
that rewards users with miles or cash back (such as Discover). The amount, though, raises some
serious questions. If the rebate was a cash discount, the company would benefit. Since it is a
rebate, the company doesn’t necessarily benefit except that the salesperson isn’t buying a dinner
that is obviously “on sale,” as would be the case with a cash discount.

e. A customer gives a salesperson a suggestion for a new service. The salesperson does not
turn in the idea to her company, even though the company’s policy manual states that all
customer ideas should be submitted with the monthly expense report. Instead, the salesperson
quits her job and starts her own business using the customer’s suggestion.
This is clearly unethical. It violates specific company policies.

Suggested Answers to Case Problems


Case 2-1: Plaxico
Questions

1. How do you respond to the pricing issue if you can’t actually prove Notelli is lying until a customer
tries them and then realizes it is more?
One way is to probe with customers to determine how much they are actually being charged or going
to be charged – lay it out side by side. An indirect way is to focus on the total cost, that your prices
are more like Southwest Airlines who charge one price for a ticket and include bags, not like these
cheap airlines that charge for everything and end up costing a lot more.

2. How do you respond to the question about leaving the business? What if a client asked about the
lawsuit directly, saying, “I hear your company filed suit against Notelli. Wasn’t that a cheap shot at a
competitor?”
The only way to handle the question is with a straight denial, then point out that some competitors
may wish you were but there’s no truth to that rumor. In most situations like this, the company will
tell you how to respond to queries about the lawsuit. Failing that, the best way would be to say
something like, “Actually, defending yourself against a competitor who can be a little weak in the
truth is one way to respond to a cheap shot.”

Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGrawHill
Education.
Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

Note: This scenario is based on a situation faced by one of our former students. The names and industry have been
changed, but the situation is real.

Case 2-2: DuBois Polymers


Questions

1. What should she do about the Farley situation? Should she try to find out if Crago plans to bid on
Farley contract and if so, what their strategy is?
No, she shouldn’t. Even if she knew their strategy, she shouldn’t disclose that, it wouldn’t be fair to
Crago. Plus, there would be no reason for DuBois to trust her if she did, though to be honest, if Mitch
himself isn’t trustworthy (and he probably isn’t) then he isn’t trusting Betsy now.

2. What should she do about the Hudson account?


The temptation is to violate company policy by lying to her company about a trial. A more legitimate
approach would be to give the trial amount directly to Hudson as a legitimate trial, with the approval
of her boss and as a courtesy to Mitch, or to seek approval for a somewhat lower price as a sales
strategy. However, Mitch is pushing pretty hard for her to engage in some unethical behavior (such as
divulging Crago’s pricing strategy), and setting a precedent here is the first step down a slippery slope
to further demands and potentially severe pressure to engage in further unethical behavior. The best
choice is to stick to her guns and avoid giving anything to Mitch at present.

3. Describe her relationship with Mitch. Where should she go with this account in the future? One
would hope she had a partnership with her largest distributor, but it doesn’t look that way.
Or at least, it appears that this is probably not the account to have to rely on for a majority
of one’s sales. She would be better suited to build up other distributors so that when
Mitch leaves her for someone who will give in to his demands, she is prepared to take the hit.
End of Chapter Role Play Case

Copy a buyer sheet for each student in the class. There are three versions. After the role play, you may
want to begin debriefing this by asking how they handled each situation. Start with Version A, but divide
it into those who were asked to adjourn for margaritas and those who were asked to visit a strip club.
Further, you can then discuss what might happen if a female salesperson was asked by a male buyer to
attend a strip club (according to articles in the trade press, this does happen, and is more likely to happen
in male-dominated industries). You can then ask how common each situation is. With Version C (which
is based on a real article), why might a buyer consider this to be an ethical issue?

Chapter 2 role play Version A:

If the rep is of the opposite sex, respond to the request for the sale like this. “Well, it all sounds good, but
I’m not quite convinced. Why don’t we adjourn to this little place I know down the street and talk it over?
They have the best margaritas in town.” If the rep is of the same sex, respond to the request like this.

Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGrawHill
Education.
Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

“Well, it all sounds good, but I’m not quite convinced. Say, there’s this place down the street, totally nude,
and the dancers are really hot. Why don’t we move this conversation over there?”

Chapter 2 role play Version B:

Respond like this. “Well, it all sounds good but my reps are not very tech-savvy. And I have no money in
the budget for training. I know you said that training is an additional charge but if you’ll throw in free
training, I’ll take it.” If the rep says yes, then ask how it will be done. After all, your reps are in 30
different cities.

Chapter 2 role play Version C:

Your response is: “I don’t know. I read in CRM Magazine that people are having a lot of trouble
integrating your latest version of NetSuite with previous versions. And NetSuite isn’t acknowledging the
problem. I’m not sure that is the type of company I want to do business with.”

EXERCISE 2-1 IDENTIFYING YOUR ETHICAL DECISION PROCESS

Below is a list of activities and behaviors that a salesperson may engage in. Under what conditions would
the behavior be ethical or unethical? If the behavior is always ethical, write “Always ethical,” or list any
situational influences that determine if the behavior is ethical or unethical, or write “Always unethical.”

1. Offering gifts directly to a purchasing agent, like sales promotion prizes and “purchase volume
incentive bonuses.”

2. Asking for preferential treatment from a buyer who is also a supplier.

3. Asking for preferential treatment from your banker when that banker is considering a purchase from
you.

4. Exaggerating the seriousness of a problem in order to explain a delay in shipping.

5. Allowing for personalities—for example, liking one buyer more than others—to enter into the
pricing negotiation.

Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGrawHill
Education.
Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

6. Trying to go directly to departments that use your product, because the purchasing agents won’t see
you.

7. Seeking information about competitors from good customers.

8. Raising prices when you know you are the only supplier for a company.

9. Asking for information about other bids so you can adjust yours.

2-10
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Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

10. Giving preferential treatment to a customer over another as compared to the usual treatment.

11. Writing off the cost of duplicating a proposal for a buyer as a travel expense because the company
doesn’t let you write off copying expenses.

12. Taking the afternoon off after making a big sale.

Go back to the previous page and review your responses. Were you able to identify situations which made
a behavior ethical? Situations that made it unethical? If you used a lot of situations to explain when
something might be ethical or unethical, then you may have a situational perspective on ethics. If the
converse is true, then you may have a deterministic perspective. The idea is that some people like believe
that the ethicality of an action can only be determined by understanding the situation (e.g. it’s okay to steal
to feed yourself). Others say that the situation does not determine ethicality, a higher code of conduct does
(e.g. it is never okay to steal).

Now consider the constituents that were involved in each decision. Who would be hurt by the action? Go
back and add that to each situation. Consider the impact on the buyer, the seller, their companies, and society
in general. What you have just done is taken another approach to determining the ethicality of an action:
the consistency approach. This approach looks at who is hurt and who is benefited. If benefits outweigh the
hurts, then the action is ethical. The difficulty, of course, is deterring the value of the benefits and the costs
of the hurts. One version of this considers who will find out about the action. Only if someone else (who
can punish the salesperson) finds out about the act is it considered ethical. From a societal perspective, that
approach is not very helpful!

Which approach describes you the best? Can you think of any ethical dilemmas you might have faced?
Did you use one of these approaches in resolving your conflict?

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Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

2-11

Now consider the following scenarios and rate the salesperson’s behavior:
1. The customer signs the order but fails to initial one of the little boxes, the one that determines how
long the rental agreement is for. Your don’t notice until you get back to the office, 45 minutes
away. You know that the customer wanted a 24 month lease so you just initial it and turn it in.
Illegal
Unethical or immoral
Ethical but inappropriate
No problem

Reason:

2. You convince a physician who has just opened a new practice to purchase an unusually large
amount of supplies, informing him that he will get an excellent discount.
Illegal
Unethical or immoral
Ethical but inappropriate
No problem

Reason:

Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGrawHill
Education.
Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

3. You have a customer awaiting a shipment that is due to arrive tomorrow. If the customer knew it,
though, they could wait until next week when the product goes on sale and save a bundle.
Illegal
Unethical or immoral
Ethical but inappropriate
No problem

Reason:

4. An employee (of the opposite sex) of the buyer’s company, but not the buyer, asks you out as you
are leaving the plant after making a sales call
Illegal
Unethical or immoral
Ethical but inappropriate
No problem

2-12

Reason:

5. The buyer offers to take you out to dinner to say thank you for all your support for their company.
Illegal
Unethical or immoral
Ethical but inappropriate
No problem

Reason:

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Chapter 02 - Ethical and Legal Issues in Selling

2-13

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SUMMARY

The processes which the food undergoes in digestion—conversion


into condition to be absorbed by the body; in absorption through the
walls of the intestines and stomach, and the metabolic processes
which it undergoes in being converted into heat and energy and
again broken down and eliminated as waste, are, in brief, as follows:
The Saliva begins the digestion of starches and sugars in the
mouth, and continues this digestion for a time in the stomach.
The Stomach, when in normal condition, digests the proteins. If
any proteins fail of digestion in the stomach the process is completed
in the intestines. It has little absorptive power.
The Small Intestine digests and absorbs the fats and continues the
digestion of starches, sugars, fats, and proteins, when this digestion
is not completed in the stomach.
The large part of the food is absorbed through the small intestine,
though a small part is absorbed through the walls of the stomach
and through the large intestine.
Fats are almost entirely absorbed in the small intestine. They are
absorbed through the lacteals and are carried into the blood-stream.
The intestines, aside from their work of digestion and absorption,
excrete bile pigment, bile salts, mucus, and other decomposition
products, also such food materials as are not digested.
The Liver. The proteins, the starches (converted into maltose), and
sugars pass into the liver. The sugar (including the sugar in
vegetables, milk, fruits and that used for sweetening as well as the
carbohydrates which have been changed into maltose) is converted
into glycogen in the liver, stored for a time, and again broken down
into a condition in which it may be absorbed into the blood.
The proteins pass through the liver but are not acted on by this
organ until they again return to the liver through the blood stream,
after they have been partly oxidized in the tissues. The liver further
oxidizes them, putting them into condition to be excreted by the
kidneys and intestines.
The liver also breaks up the worn-out red corpuscles putting them
into condition to be eliminated in the bile.
It oxidizes and renders harmless poisonous substances absorbed
in the food, such as fermented food products and alcohol.
The Muscles oxidize the fats and sugars liberating the latent heat
and energy. They partly oxidize proteins which are further broken up
in the liver.
The Nerves oxidize food materials stored in the nerve cells,
providing nervous energy.
The Lungs absorb oxygen and throw off carbon dioxid, watery
vapor, and some organic substances.
The Kidneys and the Skin excrete water, carbon dioxid, and
nitrogenous waste.
The Blood carries the vital elements derived from the food to all
the organs and tissues, keeping them alive and actively functioning.
It also carries waste products to the skin, lungs, kidneys, and
intestines for elimination.

FACTORS INFLUENCING DIGESTION

As before stated, it is not the food eaten, but that which the body
digests and assimilates, or appropriates to its needs, which counts.
Many factors influence such nourishment. The principal aids are a
forceful circulation, the plentiful breathing of oxygen, and free
elimination.

If one has no appetite, we have been told in the


The Appetite past to abstain from food until the system calls for
it, or to eat but a very little of the lightest food at
regular meal times. This is right, but it deals with the effect and not
the cause of the lack of appetite.
The chances are that this lack is due to retained waste. Whenever
there is too much waste in the system, the chances are that the
digestive organs will not call for more food, and when the appetite is
lacking the effort should be made to see that the system is
thoroughly clean. Every muscle and tissue must be relieved of the
excess of waste. The correction of the lack of appetite, then, is not
only abstinence from food, but brisk exercise, plenty of fresh air in
the lungs, free drinking of water, and the elimination of the waste
through the intestines, skin, lungs, and kidneys.
One should not be led into forming the habit of irregular eating,
however. The stomach forms habits and the supply of food must be
regular, just as the nursing child must be fed regularly, or digestive
disturbance is sure to result.
Care should be taken not to eat between meals nor to eat candy
or indigestible foods.
The lack of appetite may be due to mental preoccupation which
does not let the brain relax long enough for the physical needs to
assert themselves. One should relax the brain in pleasant thought
during the meal.
But the chief thing to bear in mind is to create the demand for food
by relieving the system of its waste, by calling for more supply to the
muscles through exercise, and by giving the system plenty of oxygen
through deep breathing.
The appetite is partly under control of the will and may be trained.
It is more or less capricious and may be satisfied with little, or it may
demand large amounts of food. Grief or worry will destroy it, as will
foul air, and overfatigue.
A voracious appetite may be due to an irritation of the nerves of
the stomach or to a disturbance of digestion of one kind or another.
This is shown by the fact that sometimes those with abnormal
appetites are thin and undernourished because of non-digestion of
the food. If the food is eaten slowly and well chewed, the desire for
too great an amount will be lessened. The food will also be better
digested.
The chalk-eating, clay-eating, salt-eating habits are well known.
The desire is largely mental and may be treated by substituting
healthful thoughts for morbid longings, and changing the
monotonous or restricted diet for one more liberal.
If the appetite is lacking because of physical exhaustion, it is
unwise to eat, because the digestive organs are tired, and to load a
tired stomach with food, still further weakens it and results in
indigestion. The better plan is to drink two glasses of cold water and
lie down for an hour.
Lack of appetite and the taste for highly seasoned food may come
from a monotonous diet or one that does not contain sufficient
coarse food or sufficient water to stimulate peristalsis; the result is
stagnation and constipation, with the disorders that follow in its train.
The monotonous diet, from its effect on the mind, results in lack of
desire for food. Both the condition and the appetite are often
stimulated and changed by a greater variety in the kinds of food.
Care should be taken not to form the habit of using stimulants too
freely, particularly with children.
Condiments and stimulants, used to make the food “appetizing,”
unduly stimulate the nerves, and pervert the natural taste, and foods
containing their natural amount of spices or extractives no longer
tempt one. Those whose nerves are highly keyed, form the habit of
seasoning the food too highly. This undue stimulation calls for more
food at the time of eating than a normal appetite would demand. The
taste being cultivated for the stimulant, the habit of eating too much
food is formed.
A wise provision of Nature makes the system, in a normal
condition, its own regulator, protesting against food when it has not
assimilated or eliminated that consumed. One should learn to obey
such protests and cut down the quantity when Nature calls “enough,”
and exercise to eliminate waste, thus creating a better assimilation.
Nature does not call for more food until she has eliminated the
excess of waste.
There are exceptions, however. Some phases of indigestion cause
a gnawing sensation in the stomach which is often mistaken for a
desire for food. This is not a normal appetite. Water will usually
relieve it.
Often loss of appetite is the result of a clogging of the intestines or
liver, or is due to an excess of bile, which, not having been properly
discharged into the intestines, has entered the blood stream or
regurgitated into the stomach. A torpid liver often expresses itself in
a dull mental force, the toxins deadening the nerve cells.
The lack of desire for exercise of those living in warm climates
results in a sluggish activity of the system. As a result it demands
less food, and habits of excessive seasoning to stimulate the
appetite have been formed.
The desire for excessive stimulants, such as salt, may be a
cultivated taste and the habit should be corrected.
There is a difference between the cultivated and the normal
appetite. A child rarely shows a desire for stimulants such as tea or
coffee, excessive salt, pepper, pickles, catsups, etc., unless unwisely
encouraged by an adult, who does it, not because it is food for the
child, but because the individual himself has cultivated a taste for it.
It is as easy to form healthful tastes and habits of eating as
unhealthful ones, and care should especially be exercised over the
formation of healthful habits in the growing child.
One should not allow himself to become “finicky” or no food will
give him its best service.
Time, energy, muscular activity, nerve force, and money are spent
in combining, seasoning, and cooking foods in such a manner as
often to render them difficult of digestion.
Let me repeat for emphasis—when the appetite wanes, deep
breathing of fresh air to supply an abundance of oxygen to oxidize
the waste, thus putting it in condition to be expelled from the system,
brisk exercise to accelerate the circulation, that the blood may carry
the oxygen freely and that the tissues may liberate the carbon dioxid
and other waste, and a copious drinking of water, are the best tonics
for loss of appetite or for a lack of vitality.

The food required by the body varies according


Season and to the season of the year and the temperature.
Climate Thus, during cold weather, the body craves hot
foods and drinks, and the heavier foods which
furnish more heat-producing elements. In summer, the lighter foods,
fruits, and the proteins supplied in green vegetables instead of in
meats, are relished, and cold foods and drinks are desired as aids in
equalizing the heat of the body. The total amount of food taken in
summer may be lessened because so much food is not required to
maintain the body heat and energy. The lessened amount puts less
strain on the digestive system.
Owing to the increased perspiration, the desire for water is greater
in summer, while in winter or in cool weather, from the opposite
condition, the quantity of water taken is usually insufficient.
In travel, when one shifts with more or less rapidity from one
temperature to another, the diet should not be altered too greatly or
too suddenly; the system must be allowed time to accommodate
itself to the change.
The occupation must be taken into consideration. Great muscular
activity requires a more liberal diet than a sedentary habit, no matter
what the climate may be.
Certain tribes that inhabit the tropics subsist almost entirely on
meat, while many of the inhabitants of Russia and Norway live on
breadstuffs almost to the exclusion of meat.
It is quite obvious that the food should vary
according to the body needs. The needs of the Age
adult, the child, and the infant vary. The baby may
not take the food which is required by the child from the age of three
to ten, and the aged, not exercising vigorously, does not need the
hearty food of the growing child or the active adult. The need for food
depends, however, on activity more than on years.
It is more difficult to make those in middle and old age, who are
not active, realize that the body no longer needs so much food, due
to the fact that it is not so actively building tissue, and that an
oversupply causes a serious tax on the digestive system. It brings in
its train ills which might easily be avoided by simpler habits and a
little study of the actual needs of the body.
More food than the activity of the system demands, taken in later
or middle life, causes most of the diseases which afflict this period.
Obesity, arteriosclerosis, liver disease, gastro-intestinal diseases,
biliousness, kidney diseases, gout, and allied conditions, can all be
traced to an overtaxed digestive system, with faulty elimination and
weakened organs. These show the rebellion of Nature at being
compelled to work overtime.
While these diseases are most frequent after forty, the condition of
the system which designates age is not always measured by years.
In the ordinary individual who has allowed himself to sit and
become lazy in his habit of life, certain changes in the system occur
and the body needs less food than is required in more active life.
There are not such heavy calls on reserves for repair, either of nerve
force or of material.
Unless active exercises and interests have been kept up, the
muscular system begins to deteriorate, the heart action is slower,
and there is a lessening of nerve tone. Relaxation of the digestive
and intestinal organs occurs, peristalsis is less vigorous, and the
glands become less active, owing to the lessened call for energy.
From this cause, unless the amount of food is reduced in proportion
to the body needs, constipation and other digestive derangements
may result.
If one stops physical and mental activity at any age, the vital
forces recede, muscles and vital organs become weak and inactive,
and the waste of the system is not fully eliminated. Such a man at
thirty or forty is physically and mentally older than the man who is in
active business or is taking daily vigorous exercise, at seventy or
eighty. The latter may follow the same diet which he followed at fifty,
while the former should follow the diet of the old man who has
stopped active work.
Young men who through excessive drafts on their vitality have
exhausted their forces often act and look twice their years. For these
the diet should be simple, easily digested, and nutritious, and often
reduced in quantity.
Formerly it was thought that at fifty years of age a man or a
woman was on the down-hill slope; they were considered “aged.”
Owing to the discoveries of scientific tests of the condition of arteries
and vital organs, it is now known that years do not play so large a
part in the matter of age.
A man or a woman at fifty, who is in vigorous mental and physical
health, is in the prime of life, while many from twenty-five to thirty,
who have dissipated their vital forces, may be said to have entered
the age of decrepitude. The saying, “Man is as old as his arteries,”
should be expanded to “Man is as old as his tissues.”
People have thought too long that age is a matter of years. They
need to be aroused to recognize the fact that the condition of age is
a matter of health of body and mind; that the spirit, which sees to it
that the body which it inhabits is kept vigorous and strong by
healthful and happy thoughts and an active interest in the world’s
affairs, is “young,” no matter what the years number. Optimism and
cheer keep one young; pessimism and habits of mental depression
age one.
One of the encouraging signs of the times is that more and more
people are learning to know that their activities need not be given up
because they have reached a certain age. If the children which
formerly needed care, have grown and gone to homes of their own,
the activities of the mother and father are freed to find vent in other
directions. If children no longer need immediate care, the parents
have time to make better conditions for the children of others less
fortunate. They should interest themselves in public questions that
affect these children and their own, indirectly if not directly. New life
and strength have been found by many by changing their activities
and keeping the thoughts young and the interest vivid. The body will
respond marvelously to the mandates of the inner self.

There is no doubt that the habit of eating


Habit and governs one’s convictions of what the system
Regularity of requires. One is inclined to think that a desire for a
Eating food is a requirement of Nature; yet it may simply
be the continuation of a habit due to indigestion.
Chronic abnormal functioning of the organs, such as is seen in
indigestion, constipation, sluggish liver, etc., are physical habits.
If a mother feeds her babe every three hours the child will usually
wake and call for food about this period. If she has formed the habit
of nursing the child every two hours, it will call for food in about two
hours, even though all symptoms indicate that the child is overfed.
It is important that both child and adult establish regular and
hygienic habits because the digestive juices secrete themselves at
the regular periods established. A right habit is as easily formed, and
as difficult to change, as a wrong one.
If one forms the habit of eating a certain amount of food, the
stomach calls for about the same amount, and when one first begins
to change the quantity it protests, whether the change be to eat more
or less.
Few people form the habit of drinking sufficient water, particularly if
they have been taught that water at meals is injurious. In this busy
life, few remember to stop work and drink water between meals, and
if not consumed at the meal time the system suffers. Many people
look “dried up.”
The habit of drinking two glasses of water on first arising, and six
or eight more during the day is an important one.
There is no doubt that a large number of people constantly
overload the digestive organs. This, as well as the bolting of food,
insufficiently masticated, cannot be too strongly denounced. All food
should be chewed to a pulp before being swallowed.

To avoid overeating, many theorists are


advocating two meals a day. Frequency of
Meals
When two meals a day are eaten, the first meal
should be at nine or ten o’clock in the morning and the second meal
at five or six o’clock in the afternoon; whereas, for the average
person who eats two meals a day, this custom means that he goes
without food until the midday meal and then eats two meals within
six hours, with nothing more for eighteen hours.
The argument in favor of two meals a day has been that the
digestive system is inactive during sleep, and, therefore, it is not
ready for a meal on arising. Pawlow’s experiments, however, show
that digestion continues during sleep, though less actively; and it
must be borne in mind that the average evening meal is eaten about
six o’clock and that there are about four waking hours between this
meal and the sleep period; also, that the average individual is awake
and moderately active an hour before the morning meal. This gives
five waking hours between the evening and the morning meal. About
the same time, five hours, elapses between the morning and the
midday meal, and between the midday and the evening meal, so that
three meals a day divide the digestion periods about evenly. If the
amount of food supplied by two meals seems to be sufficient for the
needs of the individual, and it is not practical to eat at the hours
stated, then omit the midday meal.
In the strain of business life, returning at once to work, after the
eating of a heavy meal in the middle of the day, calls all of the
surplus blood to the brain; this, in many cases, results disastrously.
For this reason, the taking of the heavy meal at night, when the
system may relax and time be given to proper digestion, has come to
be an institution of city life.
More frequent meals, served in lighter quantity with greater
regularity, so that the system is not overloaded at any one meal, is
rational for delicate or undernourished nerves and tissues.
The reason invalids or those whose digestive organs are delicate
should have the heaviest meal at midday, is because the vigor of the
system is greater at this time than later in the day; the increased
temperature in fever in the late afternoon retards assimilation. Those
whose digestive organs are delicate should not be confined to three
meals a day if less food taken oftener is better borne and
assimilated, but the meals should be at regular times.

Food is stored in the muscles for immediate use


when needed. If all of the food supplied to the Effect of
muscles is not used for their daily needs, an Exercise and
excess accumulates unless the muscles are Breathing on
exercised sufficiently to use up the supply. A Digestion
constant accumulation results in obesity. This
condition, by overlaying the organs with fat, compresses them and
hampers their activity. If the accumulation continues it ultimately
causes a degeneration of the tissues. Apoplexy occurs in those
carrying an excess of fat due to a weakening of the walls of the
arteries of the brain.
The blood, owing to variations in the external temperature, has a
tendency to retreat from the skin through contraction of the
capillaries and to engorge the internal organs. Exercise brings the
blood to the skin and muscles, causing the waste, broken down by
the chemical activity going on every instant of life, to be picked up by
the blood and carried to the eliminating organs. Therefore, since the
blood is needed in the digestive organs during digestion, active
exercise should not be taken immediately after meals.
Exercise taken in the proper amount and at proper times uses up
the excess of material, benefits digestion, aids the work of the liver
and intestines, keeps the circulation active, the waste eliminated,
and results in a feeling of vigor and fitness for one’s work whether
physical or mental.
Exercise should be counted as a necessary part of one’s daily
activities—as necessary as eating one’s meals. If faithfully done the
habit will be formed and the system will soon call for exercise as it
does for food.
The young child’s blood circulates freely, his breathing is
unrestricted, the waste of the system is fully burned up, potential
energy is released, and the result is, he must be active. The effort of
the teacher, or of those having the care of children should be, not to
restrain the child but rather to direct his activity in advantageous and
effective use of his energy.
A little child is an object lesson in alternating exercise, sleep, and
food. Almost every waking moment a child is squirming, twisting, and
turning, using every muscle of his little body, particularly every vital
organ. No excess of waste accumulates in his tissues. The adult
does not, as a rule, twist or turn or freely stretch the muscles of the
vital organs. The child and the animal stretch and yawn to start the
circulation whenever they awaken from sleep. This is instinct—
Nature’s law. Man jumps out of bed and begins dressing with mind
bent on the business of the day.
The necessity of oxygen is evident. The body will subsist about
forty days on the food stored within it without resupply, but it can
endure only a few seconds without oxygen, because heat,
occasioned by the chemical action of oxygen, is necessary to keep
up the physical activity termed “life.” Carbon dioxid (carbonic acid
gas) accumulates and poisons the system.
The necessity of habits of full, correct breathing cannot be too fully
emphasized.
The quantity of oxygen daily consumed should equal the sum of all
other food elements.[8]
Oxygen is necessary in the combustion of fats, starches, and
sugars, as it is necessary in the combustion of carbon in wood or
coal, and, as explained on pages 123 and 124, oxygen is necessary
to keep the body warm.
Deep breathing aids digestion and assimilation, not only because
of the regular exercise given to the pancreas, the spleen, the
stomach, and the liver by the correct movement of the diaphragm,
but also because of the latent heat which the oxygen liberates within
the digestive organs and out among the tissues.
While the chemical action of food creates activity within, this
activity is materially aided by exercise. Exercise and oxygen are also
necessary for chemical action in tearing down waste and in putting
raw material into condition to be appropriated to the body needs.
Two glasses of water in the morning and fifteen minutes of brisk
exercise in well-selected movements, to start a forceful circulation
and to surge the water through the digestive organs, are a daily
necessity if one is to keep clean and strong within.
Exercises should be interspersed with deep breathing of pure air.
In breathing guard against drawing up the chest; make the
muscular effort, while practicing full breathing, to expand the entire
rib cage, back, front, and side.
It is as important to cleanse the body within as without. It is the
method employed by all men and women who would retain strong
vital forces to a ripe old age. They fully enjoy the mere living.

It is of the utmost importance that one not only


Ventilation forms the habit of correct, full breathing, but also
sees to it that the air in the home, or in the place of
business, is pure. A window opened at the top and bottom is
essential in any place of business—or at least a draft through the
room.
There should be plenty of circulating air in the sleeping room.
Many restless nights are due to stagnant air.
Teachers find that when they keep their schoolrooms well
ventilated the children are less restless, their minds are more alert,
they more quickly comprehend what is said to them, and that both
they and the children are much less fatigued at the end of the day.
Proper ventilation, and proper exercise have so definite a bearing
on the condition of the body which we term “tired” that this subject
properly follows.

Since the condition of the body in fatigue so


Fatigue, materially affects the digestion, absorption, and
Disturbed assimilation of food, as well as the elimination of
Balance waste, it is not amiss to discuss it here.
The habit of eating when overfatigued is almost sure to result in
indigestion. Muscular or mental activity has called the blood away
from the digestive organs and enough time has not elapsed to
restore the equilibrium. The digestive organs are not in condition to
take care of the food promptly and fermentation begins.
A few minutes of active exercise and deep breathing for the brain
worker, or a half-hour of rest after muscular activity, will equalize the
circulation and restore the blood to the stomach and intestines.
People fail to remember that the amount of blood in the body is a
fixed quantity, and if an excess of it is called to one portion, the
supply is lessened to other portions.
The regular work of the body in keeping up the heart action and
the circulation requires a certain amount of energy produced by a
certain amount of oxidized foodstuffs. The system in normal
condition, with normal breathing, readily furnishes this energy. If
more than the normal amount is used in increased work, greater
combustion is necessary. The extra amount of waste which has been
liberated by this extra work must also be carried away. If combustion
does not take place, the extra energy is not supplied, and that
required for the constant bodily needs is called on.
If the waste is not removed from the system and the energy not
resupplied to the parts doing the extra work, the muscles, nerves,
and tissues are then in the state termed “tired.” They remain so until
the circulation has carried the waste to the eliminating organs and
has brought more foodstuffs to the tissues, thus restoring more
energy than is needed for the work constantly going on in the body.
It must be remembered that for combustion oxygen is required and
if undue energy is necessary deep breathing is imperative.
The relief, then, from the state of the body we call fatigue is in
equalizing the circulation through exercise or rest, according to the
occupation, and supplying oxygen through full breathing. This more
forceful circulation calls the blood from the unduly distended
capillaries, removes the waste, and brings a new supply of energy-
building foodstuffs.
In mental work, the nerves and the brain call for the surplus
energy, while in muscular work the tissues require it, hence undue
work, either mental or physical, expresses itself in bodily fatigue,
until the demand in all parts of the body is equalized.
When equilibrium is restored, the body is “rested.”
The relief from fatigue due to mental activity is in exercise and
deep breathing.
Carbon dioxid dulls the nerves of sensation and the brain action
and may produce more or less stupor. It may be because the
circulation in some part of the body is sluggish (most often the portal
circulation through the liver), so that sufficient oxygen is not carried
to that part.
Relief from this “inertness” is experienced most quickly by exercise
to quicken the circulation and supply the oxygen. Exercise in one’s
room by the open window, or at least with the air in the room pure, is
often preferable to outdoor exercise, because the body can be nude,
or so loosely clothed that the oxygen may not only enter the lungs
but also circulate about the skin.
Fifteen minutes of brisk exercise in one’s room is better than a
five-mile walk, because if the exercises are intelligently selected,
every organ and tissue is used, while walking exercises only about
one-fourth of the muscles.
After sleeping in a room in which the air is impure, one arises
fatigued, because the supply of oxygen is insufficient to liberate the
energy required for circulation and catabolism.
Harmony, either mental or physical, is rest.
With a little more intelligence in keeping up the supply of oxygen,
in establishing correct breathing habits, and in understanding the law
of distribution of circulation, which means the harmony of forces, this
tired world could not only draw a deep, restful breath, but would be
invigorated to enjoy life to the full.

During sleep all the processes of the body are


retarded. Sleep
Blood flow and breathing become slower and the digestive
processes slacken. For this reason, if one goes to bed immediately
after eating a heavy meal, digestion is retarded. This may react on
the nerves, producing fitful or unrestful sleep. Fever or nightmare
may result. The annoying, sleepy feeling which often comes on after
a meal indicates a lack of balance in the system—usually that more
food has been eaten than the body requires. Lessening the amount
of food and increasing the exercise and the oxygen, and cleansing
the intestinal tract will prevent it.
On the other hand, if the alimentary tract is entirely empty, sleep
may not come because there is too much blood in the brain. A glass
of hot milk or cocoa, or a couple of crackers, will call the blood to the
stomach and will often aid sleep.
After eating a heavy meal, from three to three and a half hours
should elapse before retiring for sleep.
The state of mind has much to do with regulating
the digestive system. Cheerful thoughts keep the Influence of the
nerves of the entire organism in a normal state, Mind
while disagreeable thoughts cause a tense,
unnatural condition.
The nerves of the digestive organs are affected by the tenseness
of the mind, just as are the nerves to any other part of the body. As
an illustration, if one continuously thinks ugly, disagreeable thoughts,
these thoughts affect the chemical activities of digestion and
assimilation, resulting in an excess of acid in the blood, and actual
illness results. Digestion and assimilation being impaired, the tissues
become weakened, they lose their resistance, and, as a result, the
organs may prolapse. We then have what is called a “vicious
circle”—the mind affects the body unpleasantly and the body the
mind.
We are learning to consider many factors in looking for the causes
of disease, particularly those due to general weakness, or a
disturbed mental state. Even the temper shown in a crying babe may
affect its digestion by disturbing the normal chemical activity.
Among the blood and digestive disturbances which may result
from anxiety, worry, fear, or disagreeable thoughts, are anemia,
neurasthenia, indigestion, constipation, prolapsed viscera, and, in
fact, all diseases which result from faulty nutrition and resultant
weakened tissues.
Disagreeable thoughts affect the appetite, in fact they sometimes
cause it to be entirely lost.
All so-called “new thought,” “ologies,” or “isms,” conducive to the
formation of the habit of looking on the bright side of life, or of
looking for good and joy in life, of kindness, love, and helpfulness,
favorably affect the digestion and consequently the health. The
practice is Christian Sense.
The nerves control the peristaltic movements of the stomach and
the action of the absorptive cells, as well as the cells which secrete
the digestive juices. Thus it is that a food which one likes is not only
more palatable, but it will also digest more readily, the digestive
juices flowing more freely because of the mental stimulus.
It is well, therefore, to begin the meal with something especially
appetizing, that the flow of the digestive juices may be incited. For
this reason, if one cares for fruit, it is an excellent custom to begin
the meal with fruit, or with a well-made soup, containing protein
extractives, which will stimulate the flow of digestive juices.
The habit of finishing a meal with some tasty dessert is based on
the scientific principle that its palatability will cause the gastric juices
to flow more freely after the meal, thus aiding in its digestion.
Dainty service in a sick-room, because of the psychic effect of a
meal daintily served, is of utmost importance. Because of the effect
on the mind, the sight of a meal served on soiled linen will almost
stop the flow of gastric juice and will destroy the desire for food,
while a meal well served on dainty linen, with garnishings and
tasteful table decorations, incites the flow of gastric juices.
The careful wife and mother, who notes any failure of appetite in
members of her family, should attend carefully to the garnishing of
her dishes and to serving them in a neat, attractive manner; also to
changing her table decorations, so far as may be consistent that the
eye as well as the sense of smell and taste may be pleased and the
effect of the mind on digestion be exerted.
It is strange, but it is true, that a fresh flower, or a new table
decoration, may so pleasantly affect one afflicted with nervous
indigestion that the meal more readily digests, while an untidy table,
or a lot of food served untidily will retard digestion.
The custom, among hearty eaters, of serving a plate too plentifully,
destroys the appetite of one whose digestion is not so active. Our
grandmother’s overloaded table, with sufficient food of various kinds
to serve many times the number of participants, might stimulate the
appetite of hearty, strong men, but the very sight of so much might
turn the appetite of one more delicate.
The mind must be relaxed and directed to pleasant themes during
a meal or the condition of the nerves of the digestive organs will not
permit a free secretion of digestive juices. Chronic indigestion is sure
to result from this practice. Dinner, or the hearty meal at night, rather
than at noon, is preferable for the business or professional man or
woman, because the cares of the day are over and the brain force
relaxes. The vital forces are not detracted from the work of digestion.
Foods which are forced down, with a mind arrayed against them,
do not digest so readily, because the dislike hinders the flow of the
gastric juices. Any food fails of prompt digestion when the nerves
controlling the stomach are acting feebly; however, while they digest
more slowly during mental protest, they do nourish the system.
Likes and dislikes are largely mental. Certain foods continuously
disagree and they should be avoided; but many abstain from
wholesome food because it has disagreed a few times. It may be
that it was not the particular food but the weakness of the stomach at
the time.
Many foods disagree at certain times because of the particular
conditions regulating the secretion of digestive juices. When this
condition has continued for some time it becomes chronic and a
special diet is required, together with special exercises, to bring a
better blood supply to stomach and intestines and to regulate the
nerves controlling them, in order to correct the abnormality.
One may so form the habit of criticism or of being disgruntled or
thinking he cannot eat this food and that, that his entire system
suffers. Much indigestion is more mental than physical.

It can be readily seen that any tissue, playing so


important a part in digestion as the blood, needs to Effect of the
be kept in as nearly perfect condition as possible. Circulation
A vigorous circulation stimulates digestion; a poor circulation retards
it.
If the blood is poor in quality the digestive organs are not
nourished and the digestive secretions are lessened in quantity and
quality.
If the blood is imperfectly aërated it carries an insufficient supply of
oxygen, combustion is lessened, and the waste, not being in a
condition to be removed, remains in the tissues, stagnation results,
and a slow poisoning process goes on which gradually causes the
system to fail to meet the demands made on it.
The blood tissue can only be kept in condition by an adequate but
not excessive amount of good food taken at the proper time, and
such active exercise as will thoroughly aërate the blood by bringing
the air to the smallest air cells in the lungs.
If one would fight to prevent the money used in daily exchange
from being debased, he ought to be much more ready to use every
means in his power to prevent a deterioration of the blood, that
medium of exchange in his body on which such vital issues depend.

Tobacco and alcohol are two substances which,


Tobacco and in excess, materially retard digestion.
Alcohol
The effect tobacco on the stomach is shown by
its action on the small boy with his first cigar. Habituated to its use,
the nerves become blunted and the nicotin narcotizes them. The use
of tobacco renders the sense of taste less delicate, due to the action
of the nicotin on the nerves of the taste buds. Men who use tobacco
in excess miss the pleasures of taste; all food tastes much alike to
them.
Tobacco, due to its action on the vagus nerve, many times causes
disorders both of circulation and digestion. The starches are usually
not well digested by those who are habitual users of tobacco.

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