tive organs, both chronic and acute, from which human beings suffer almost universally in civilized countries, is ample evidence of the sins that are being committed against the stomach.
Eating without appetite is unquestionably a serious sin—there can hardly be a greater sin against the digestive organs—but the sin of deficient mastication undoubtedly comes next. In the previous chapter I mentioned the importance of the thorough enjoyment of all food taken into the stomach—how this ability to enjoy every morsel eaten not only aroused the salivary glands to vastly increased activity, but every one of the juices that assist in the mysterious process of digestion were made to flow more freely under those circumstances. Now, food cannot be thoroughly enjoyed if not thoroughly masticated. Thorough mastication is what produces this enjoyment—is what arouses the sense of taste to its highest capacity, and most delicate acuteness. How much enjoyment does one derive from eating when the food is hurriedly bolted? Practically, none.
