With the stomach and other digestive organs in a state of
perfect health, one is entirely unconscious of their existence,
save when of feeling of hunger calls attention to the fact that
food is required, or satiety warns us that a sufficient amount
or too much has been eaten. Perfect digestion can only be
maintained by careful observance of the rules of health in
regard to habits of eating. On the subject of Hygiene of
Digestion, we quote a few paragraphs from Dr. Kellogg's work on
Physiology, in which is given a concise summary of the more
important points relating to this: "The hygiene of digestion has
to do with the quality and quantity of food eaten, in the manner
of eating it. If the food is eaten too rapidly, it will not be
properly divided, and when swallowed in coarse lumps, the
digestive fluids cannot readily act upon it. On account of the
insufficient mastication, the saliva will be deficient in
quantity, and, as a consequence, the starch will not be well
digested, and the stomach will not secrete a