In our collection is a small, little book with a very long title: The Gastric Regions and Victualling Department (or the Roast Beef of Old England). It was published in 1860, making it 165 years old, and is attributed simply to ‘an Old Militia Surgeon”. Although the author remains anonymous, what he left behind is a quirky and revealing glimpse into nineteenth century views on digestion, diet and stomach health.
The book itself is quite pretty. A hardcover volume with gold gilt lettering, it features embossed leaves and floral decoration on the front cover. It’s showing its age now, sun faded with worn corners, but it still catches the eye.
An Eccentric Read
Despite being 119 pages long, the actual text takes up a modest amount of space, and reading it is … an experience. The author is fond of long, waffling sentences and is not afraid to use twenty words where five would do. He opens with this memorable paragraph:
There is no reason whatever why a treatise on the gastric regions should necessarily cause the same kind of emotion on perusing it as November fog or an east wind, or that it should pinch up the features like the ‘mulligrubs’. The gastric regions are not always in a sulky humour; they have gleams of sunshine and serenity, like the other regions of the earth; nor are they always turbulent and disorderly; and why, therefore, should we be always serious and gloomy when we write or talk about them?
By page 8, he is still at it, likening stomach troubles to a particularly rowdy Irish brawl:
The commotions in the gastric regions have gone on as usual, presenting all the varying aspects of a Tipperary faction fight, which, in spite of broken heads, and other consequences too serious to be made a joke of, have often a vast amount of fun and amusement in them, and no personal pain or temporary inconvenience can ever entirely divest them of a ludicrous or comical character
The author also repeatably mentions the Volunteers. The part time rifle corps formed in 1859 to defend the British Isles. He regularly returns to the idea that Britain’s strength, especially in times of war, depends not just on guns and training, but on the guts (quite literally) of its citizen army.
It is a mix of medical commentary, humour, and personal opinion, written by someone who has clearly seen a lot of stomach trouble in his time.
Gastric Stomach Health
At its heart the book argues that poor diet, either too little or too much food, leads to poor health.
Throughout the book, there is a recurring belief that if people just ate better, society would improve, physically, mentally and morally.
If the fare at public dinners were restricted to a joint and a pudding … the health and mental faculties of a large number of Her Majesty’s subjects would be improved, and morality and virtue be largely increased among them.
On body image, he offers a particularly sharp comment:
Bodily bulk seems as much in fashion as ever … the march of fat folks seems likely, at any rate, to keep pace with the march of intellect.
And on the benefits of better food for the nation’s dating pool:
We may look forward to the time when, by judicious dieting, we may always secure a never-failing supply of handsome women, and good-looking, well-developed men to match them.
It is written with a mix of seriousness and satire, though it is not always clear when one ends and the other begins.
He ends the book with a patriotic flourish:’
Volunteers of 1860! Men of the day! Trusting in God, we depend upon you.
Published by Robert Hardwicke
The book was printed by Robert Hardwicke of 192 Piccadilly, London. Hardwicke was a prolific publisher of medical and natural history books and strong links to the nineteenth century scientific community. He often published material for amateur societies and individual enthusiasts and this book fits neatly within that area.
While The Gastric Regions and Victualling Department might seem over the top by today’s standards, it is a fascinating look at how Victorians viewed the relationship between food, health and a persons stomach.
Written by Margot Way, CALHN Health Museum
