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Potato (Our invaluable Potato)

Our invaluable Potato, which enters so largely into the dietary of all classes, claims consideration here chiefly as regards its curative uses, and medicinal capabilities. It belongs to the natural order of Solanaceous plants, so called because of their sedative properties tending "solare," to lull pain, though poisonous. The underground tubers, or starch stores, of the Potato plant are its edible parts, whilst the stalks, leaves, and green berries share the narcotic, and noxious attributes of this Nightshade (solanaceous) tribe. No daylight reaches the underground tubers so as to develop any poisonous tendencies therein. But the young shoots derive solanin from the early tubers; and in spring time young green Potatoes, if exposed to daylight, are made poisonous thereby, and have a disagreeable taste. There are two sorts of Potato tubers, -the red, and the white. A roasted Potato takes two hours to digest; a boiled one three hours and a half. Chemically the Potato contains citric acid, like that of the lemon, this being of admirable use against scurvy, or rickets in children; likewise salts of potash, which have a similar beneficial action; also phosphoric acid, yielding phosphorus in a quantity less only than what is afforded by the apple, and by wheat. It is of the first importance that the potash salts should be retained by the Potato during its cooking, and therefore the tubers must be steamed in their jackets; else, if peeled, and then steamed, they lose respectively 7 and 5 per cent of potash, and phosphoric acid; if boiled after peeling they lose as much as 33 per cent of potash, and 23 per cent of phosphoric acid. It is evident that the tough skin of the Potato must resist the escape of the potash salts into the water, though it may not completely prevent it. The bursting of the skin occurs only at quite the latter stage of the cookery. Potatoes are deficient in albuminoids, and phosphates. Small Potatoes were Athenians' "meat." But, as regards Potatoes of good quality, and skilfully cooked, "picture to yourself the 'ball of 66 flour,' as old-fashioned housewives call it, "lying in the dish, perfectly steamed, diffusing the softest, subtlest aroma, ready to crumble, all but to melt, so soon as it is touched. Recall the gust, and its after-gust, blending so consummately with that of the joint, hot, or cold. Then think of this same Potato cooked in any other way, and what sadness will come upon you! As for 'pommes de terre sautés,' 'pommes de terre Lyonnaise,' 'pommes de terre frites,' can any of these compare with the 'plain ball of flour' for a moment?" "The roots" (tubers), says Gerarde, were forbidden in Burgundy, for that they were persuaded the too frequent use of them causeth the leprosie." But it is now believed that the Potato has had much to do with banishing leprosy from England. The said affliction has become restricted to countries where the Potato is not grown. The peel, or rind, of a Potato contains the poisonous substance known as "solanin," which is dissipated, and rendered inert therein when the whole unpeeled Potato is boiled, baked, or steamed ; also dry heat serves to destroy it. Stupes of hot Potato-water obtained in this way are of external service in some forms of painful rheumatism. To make a decoction for such purpose, boil one pound of Potatoes in their coats, but each divided into four quarters, in two pints of water slowly down to one pint; then foment the swollen, and tender parts with this decoction as hot as it can be borne. Puerile as it may seem, the carriage of a small raw potato in the trouser's pocket, or beneath the breast of a woman's dress, has been often found to prevent rheumatism in a person predisposed thereto, probably in a measure because of the sulphur which is present in the tuber, and of the narcotic principles present in the peel. Ladies in former times had their dresses supplied with special little bags, or pockets, in which to carry one, or more small, raw Potatoes about their person, for avoiding rheumatism. If peeled, and pounded in a mortar, uncooked Potatoes applied cold make a very soothing cataplasm to parts which have been scalded, or burnt. These tubers are composed mainly of starch, which as a food affords elements for fatness, and for maintaining the animal warmth of the body; but the proportion of muscleforming nourishment is but small; so that in this respect as much as ten and a half pounds of the tubers are required to equal one pound of butcher's meat as to proteid value. The Irish believe that an abundant Potato diet promotes fertility.

New Potatoes do not as yet furnish citric acid; their starch is immature, and not readily acted on by the saliva in the mouth during mastication. "The man of superior intellect," said Tennyson (justifying his love of boiled beef with new Potatoes), "knows what is good to eat." Likewise "think of the said new Potatoes! Our cook when dressing them puts into the saucepan a sprig of green mint. This is genius! No otherwise could the flavour of the vegetable be so perfectly, yet so delicately emphasized! The mint is there, and we know it; yet our palate knows only the young Potato" (H. Ryecroft). By fermentation fully-grown Potatoes, through their starch undergoing conversion into sugar, yield a wine from which may be distilled Potatospirit, with a volatile oil therein called by the Germans Fuselol. This is nauseous, and causes a heavy headache, with indigestion, and biliary disturbance, together with nervous tremors. Chemically it is amylic ether, being oily in appearance, with a strong smell, and an acrid taste. Because Potatoes, when coming into contact with yeast, undergo fermentation, they are employed by bakers in making bread, and increasing its aeration, -one peck of the "fruit" to each sack of flour. By the Bread Acts of 1822, and 1833, which are still in force, it remains imperative every person who shall make for sale, or sell, or expose for sale any bread made wholly, or partially of peas, or beans, or Potatoes, or any sort of corn or grain other than wheat, shall cause all such bread to be marked with a large Roman M, signifying 'mixture,' (also 'mysteries')." "It would be well, therefore," says The Lancet (1903), "to occasionally examine all loaves for this imprint." Sydney Smith wrote alliteratively : "Two large Potatoes passed through kitchen sieve Unwonted softness to a salad give." that " And Sir Thomas Overbury said wittily about a dolt who took credit for the merits of his ancestors, "Like the Potato, all that was good about him was underground."

For making Stovies, or Stove Potatoes, called in Scotland Stove-tarties : "Peel a dozen Potatoes, and cut them up, not too small, but as near as may be into equal pieces; in a flat stewpan put two tablespoonfuls of good, clear beef dripping; add two large onions (sliced), then the Potatoes, pepper, and salt, and a spoonful or two of cold water; shut down tightly; shake occasionally; and if they become too dry add a little more water. The Potatoes should not be allowed to mash, but should have some formation left when dished up." This is a famous dish with the cottagers on Deeside, and when once done the pan is drawn to the side of the large wood fire, and is ready for all comers; slow cooking is essential. For "Golden Potatoes," take some cold, boiled, new Potatoes, dip them into egg, and bread-crumb, and fry a golden brown; sprinkle with chopped parsley. These go well with bacon at breakfast for supplying animal warmth, and fat, to a consumptive, or attenuated invalid. For a Potato pudding (Roly-poly): "Take a pint of hot mashed Potato, a pint of flour, a quarter of a pound of butter, a pinch of salt, and moisten with water, or milk, into a dough; roll the paste out, and spread it with any jam which has no stones; roll, and tie up, and steam for an hour and a quarter." A very nice sauce to eat with this dainty pudding may consist of "two ounces of butter, and two tablespoonfuls of sugar, beaten together, and added to one well-whipped egg; go on beating, whilst pouring in by degrees a little boiling water till the sauce looks like cream."

Potato cream is a capital help for children towards preventing rickets, or scorbutic troubles; this may be made by passing thoroughly-steamed Potatoes through a fine sieve, and intimately mixing the floury material thus obtained, with milk until it has the consistence of cream. From a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful of such mixture may be added to the contents of an infant's feeding-bottle, increasing the quantity according to the age of the child. The bending of leg bones, and spine, which characterizes rickets in children, is usually ascribed to a deficiency of phosphate of lime, and potash, in the food, but this is not wholly the cause; there is, furthermore, an underlying constitutional defect for assimilating the mineral substances necessary to produce healthy growth of the bones. Children with rickets require during their second year such nourishment as scraped raw beef, marrow, cream, and whey (in which all the phosphates are retained). Potatoes never cause rheumatism by provoking acidity; on the contrary, their potash salts tend to prevent it. For the sleeplessness of nervous indigestion, to take for supper a steamed good-sized Potato, masticating also (though without swallowing) its cooked coat, will often prove a successful soporific. In the most modern treatment of diabetes Potatoes are allowed, it being found that they cause less glucose (grape sugar) to occur as found in the urine than an equivalent quantity of wheaten bread. M. Mossé, at the French Academy of Medicine, goes so far as to recommend the use by diabetic patients of Potatoes, to the amount of two, or three, pounds daily. If thus substituted for bread they diminish the amount of eliminated sugar, also the quantity of urine passed, and the degree of thirst which is suffered, whilst the general health improves, and any surgical wounds heal kindly. In the cases of arthritic diabetes of elderly patients the Potato diet is something more than a properly assimilated form of food, since it exercises a decidedly curative effect. This effect M. Mossé attributes to the considerable quantity of alkaline salts, chiefly those of potash, contained in the tubers. But mashed Potatoes have the disadvantage of not being masticated sufficiently for the saliva to change the starches into dextrin. The experimental allowing of potatoes among their foods may be safely commended for diabetic patients who have arrived at such a stage in their treatment that they may be permitted to take a certain amount of starch elements, and sugar, but cannot tolerate bread. Sir James Sawyer (Birmingham, 1904) says: "My own experience in practice during the last two years is confirmatory of Mossé's conclusions. I think it will be found that the permission of Potatoes in the food of diabetics is one of the greatest dietetic advances of our times. But the vegetable should be cooked in a particular way, that is, baked in their skins for choice, or by steaming with their 'skin'on; otherwise large proportions of the potash, and of the phosphoric acid will be lost." (We would suggest that very probably the narcotic properties of the skin, which are indisputable, exercise an important auxiliary effect.) Sir James goes on to propose the use of Potato flour (of properlycooked tubers) instead of grain flour for making the bread, cakes, and biscuits of diabetic patients. Excellent, and delicious cakes can be contrived from paste made by rubbing down Potatoes cooked as enjoined, and blended with cream, or butter. Likewise for Bran and Potato Bread: "Take half a pound of flour of steamed Potatoes, a quarter of a pound of bran, half an ounce of German yeast, half an ounce of butter, and one egg. Twenty-four hours before making the dough cook the Potatoes by steaming them in their jackets; then peel, and break them up into flour with the fingers; mix all the ingredients together, and let the paste stand near the fire for an hour to 'rise'; then bake in a greased tin for an hour and a half." When reaching the intestines Potatoes are as a whole very well absorbed, since they contain chiefly starch, and very little cellulose. Boiling robs them of much of their mineral ingredients, also of some of the proteids which they so scantily contain. The fibro-vascular layer immediately beneath the skin is richer in mineral, and proteid matters than is the flesh of the Potato ; so that in peeling this off with the rind the said valuable ingredients are lost. The richer a Potato is in proteids the more waxy it becomes when cooked, because the coagulated proteid solidifies the structure. The starch grains of the Potato are specially ready to undergo fermentation, therefore these tubers as food are to be specially avoided in some morbid conditions of the digestive organs, such, for example, as that of a dilated stomach. Part of the mineral bases are combined with citric acid. "It has been calculated that if a bushel of Potatoes were peeled, and soaked in water, before being boiled, the loss of nutrients would be nearly equivalent to the amount thereof contained in one pound of beef-steak"; so Dr. Hutchison teaches us. With regard to the question of permitting diabetic patients to eat Potatoes, it should be remembered that these tubers contain only about one-third as much starch as bread does, so that they may be given more safely than bread. If Potatoes seem to cause drowsiness they should be first boiled for about five minutes, and then put into fresh boiling water, the first water being thrown away. Two medium-sized Potatoes, when steamed, or boiled in the usual manner, remain for two, or two and a half hours in the stomach; that is, a shorter time than a similar weight of bread. Dr. King Chambers advised "the Invalid's Mashed Potato” : "Steam one pound of Potatoes, with their jackets on, until they are mealy; peel them, and rub them through a wire sieve; when cool, add a small teacupful of fresh cream, and a little salt, beating the mash lightly up as you go on until it is quite smooth, and then warming it gently for use." Scotch folk call this homely dish Champit tatties." 66 Potatoes, though less nutritious than oatmeal, are more easily digested; and an excellent cheese porridge, or cheese pudding, may be made by adding cheese to baked Potatoes (baked being said advisedly rather than boiled, because then none of the original saline constituents are lost as they are in boiling),' as including all the valuable mineral additions of which 66