Show Daily D ily Health Service Correct Diet Is Vital in Tuberculosis Editor Journal of the he American Medical Medi 1 cal Association and of Hygeia the Health Magazine 1 Much attention has been given iven dur dur- lag ng the past two years to the so called Gerson and diets used In tuberculosis At one time raw meat and meat juices were stron strongly ly advised for this disease but at present the evidence in favor of such a a diet does not indi cate sate that it has any special value There is ig some evidence that a high protein diet increases the ity of the blood was convinced that a diet largely acid In n character hastened the healing of wounds Recently Dr Edgar Mayer of Saranac Saranac Sara nac Lake has surveyed the evidence for these diets in which salt is re restricted restricted restricted re- re in cases of tuberculosis He has also given special attention to the theother theother theother other factors involved in diets for forthe forthe forthe the He is inclined to believe that a high protein ration isor is of or value Apparently the fat in the body can be held in m reserve and drawn on at will Several authorities have recommended excess fats in m the diets of ot the It has not been established that the calcium in the blood in tuberculosis is lower than ordinarily excess calcium calcium cal cal- in the food does docs not seem to aid the calcification of ot the tubercle Neither has it been certainly demonstrated demonstrated dem demo that any large increase over the usual amount of vitamins is ad advisable advisable even for persons in good health If It it can be shown that a definite definite nite lack lack of of vitamins exists that lack should be supplied But only rarely in the American population does an any adult seem to suffer from a real vitamin vita vila min deficiency The experiments with vitamin feeding may be carried out over long periods of oC time since it does docs not seem that harm can result from Crom a relative excess of vitamins The two diets most talked about at the present time are the Gerson diet and the Sauer Sauerbruch Sauer- Sauer bruch diet These diets do not vary greatly one from the other Both of them eliminate sodium chloride or common salt substituting a calcium rich salt both restrict meats greatly and water greatly both are rich in fat and protein but low in carbohydrates carbohydrates carbohydrates carbo carbo- hydrates both provide for giving much raw food with cod liver oil phosphorus and calcium In surveying all of the available evidence for these methods Mayer concludes that some people react favorably fa fay to the withdrawal of table salt and that some improve on 1 larger than normal vitamin intake but that it is not safe as a routine proposition to put all nIl patients with tuberculosis on a special diet of such character with the idea that it willbe will willbe willbe be beneficial to all of them The person person person per per- son with tuberculosis is a human being being be be- ing and no two human beings are exactly ex ex- exactly alike Every case must be studied as an individual and treated 1 on an basis |