H.E.H. writes.—­I should like your opinion of the statement of the late Mr A. Broadbent, that fruit when taken with starchy food by dyspeptics delays digestion, and that the digestion of starchy foods and vegetables occupied only one-third of the time needed for the digestion of starch with fruit.  I have lived on a strict vegetarian diet and observed the laws of hygiene for two and a half years, to rid myself of dyspepsia, with great success, having increased my weight by thirty-six pounds; for the last nine months of this time I have lived on a largely “unfired” diet, but am still troubled with acid risings and flatulence and cannot account for it.  Will you kindly enlighten me on the subject?

I am a carpenter by trade and get eight hours in the open air every day.  I take a tumbler of distilled water hot with the juice of one orange at 6 A.M., breakfast at 7.30 A.M., dinner at 12 noon and tea at 6 P.M., all consisting of Wallace unfermented bread and biscuits, various fruits (mostly apples, bananas and tomatoes) and nuts, about 1/2oz. at a meal; also a little cheese, about 1 oz. at a meal.

 The late Mr A. Broadbent was quite right, in my opinion, when he
 asserted that fruit taken with starchy foods delayed digestion.

 To reap the true benefit from fruit it must be taken alone.

The dominant element in fruit is oxygen and the feature of oxygen is its power to start the process of oxidation in decomposing and disintegrating substances.  It follows that when the stomach is filled with fermenting food-stuffs, or the tissues are clogged with the products derived from such, the oxidising action of fruit will be correspondingly intense.

The Naturist who applies the Schroth Cure for the purpose of curing chronic diseases uses fruit as his chief eliminating agent.  The reader will remember that the peasant healer, Schroth, made his patients take dry stale rolls alone for three whole days, with nothing whatever to drink, and on the fourth day, he gave them a full bottle of white wine, which then caused intense oxidation, with marked elimination of poisons.  His methods, if successful, were drastic and weakening, and so the latter-day exponents of Schrothism have modified this and give their patients zweiback or twice-baked bread instead of rolls, and on the third or fourth day make the patient partake freely of fresh fruit.  This process of alternate dry days and fluid days is continued for some weeks until the cure is complete.

I have merely referred to this matter to show the part played by fruit in the body.  To a healthy person fruit is in truth a splendid regenerating food, but it should, whenever possible, be eaten alone.  To a dyspeptic, fruit is often equally good, if taken by itself.

The case of vegetables is different, and I hold with Broadbent that salad or properly cooked