If, by some disturbance in the digestion, absorption, or assimilation of food, more iron is excreted from the body than is made use of from the food, the blood making organs do not receive sufficient iron and the blood is lacking in red corpuscles. It becomes poor in hemoglobin and the individual becomes pale. This condition is known as Anaemia.
Where there are not sufficient red blood corpuscles, it is of vital importance that one keep up a good circulation; the stomach, intestines, liver, and spleen must be strengthened through exercise and one must breathe deeply of pure air, for the red blood corpuscles are oxygen carriers, and the insufficient supply must do double duty or the waste of the system will not be oxidized and eliminated.
A diet rich in iron must be supplied. It will most often be found that one whose blood is lacking in hemoglobin and in the proper proportion of red blood corpuscles, has had a dislike for the foods rich in iron, or, perhaps, has not been able to get the right kind of food.
The yolks of eggs, the red meats (such as steak, mutton or the breast of wild game), and the deep colored greens, (such as spinach, chard, dandelions, etc.) contain a goodly proportion of iron. The dark color of greens and of the dark meats is given to them by the iron which they contain. The dark leaves of lettuce, celery, and cabbage contain iron, but these vegetables are apt to be bleached before being put upon the market.
The yolks of two eggs are better than one whole egg, as the iron is in the yolk. A good way to take the yolk of eggs is in egg lemonade or in eggnog, with a little nutmeg for spice.
FOOTNOTES:
[2] Winfield S. Hall, Ph. D., M. D., Prof. of Physiology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago.
Carbonaceous Foodstuffs
The carbonaceous foods are those used by the body for heat and energy and are so named because they contain a large proportion of carbon,—heat producing element. It is the carbon in wood, which, uniting with oxygen, produces heat and light.
The carbonaceous foods are all composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, the difference being in the different proportions in which these elements are combined.