Oxygenated Bitters vs. Immigrants

Two hundred years ago, Oxygenated Bitters were used to lower the levels of oxalate in the blood. It worked, but everything that oxalates "did" was exaggerated or made up, like high immigrant crime.

Acadia is a part of the world that many don’t know about, yet really touches on a lot of our collective histories. Most of us would be forgiven for not knowing what Acadia is, or of the profound influence it’s had on all of our lives. Let’s just say there’d be no such thing as Cajuns without Acadians.

But if you haven’t heard of Acadia, then you probably haven’t heard of the Acadian Reporter, particularly the January 6, 1855 edition which advertises “Oxygenated Bitters.”

Image: Advert for oxygenated bitters.

Oxygenated Bitters are good, according to the advertisement, for an entire host of things. What they are, just in case you’re unaware…are a mixture of nitric acid and some other random things…like blue pills of some sort. The idea is that the nitric acid interacts with and helps reduce the level of oxalic acid in the body. Generally speaking, sure, why not? I’ll take one acid to get rid of another, sure.

Unlike other remedies for dyspepsia, asthma, and “general debility,” this one had a lasting impact. From before 1853 through 1887 or so, there was a genuine market for this. It lasted so long because of, basically, good advertising, as you see above. I mean, one woman in 1853 indicated that Oxygenated Bitters were for “lawyers, clergymen, and statesmen,” and who wouldn’t want to be associated with that crowd? Not unlike those who are single-handedly or in groups defending the United States from those evil others.

See, I kind of see some parallels here. If you carefully go through the documentation on what Oxygenated Bitters are for (or what nitric acid does), then the facts bear some form of truth. That is, nitric acid, at temperatures above 80-degrees, does, in fact, react with oxalic acid. And…oxalic acid can produce burns, just like any other acid, I must add. And further, excessive levels of oxalic acid in the blood do lead to problems such as kidney stones, for example. So on the face of it, the application of nitric acid seems a worthwhile thing to try. Right?

I mean I would.

Maybe.

Okay, probably not.

But why not?

Because it’s been disproven. Not just that it’s been disproven by science, since there are people who have oxalic diathesis, the target nemisis that Oxygenated Bitters are to solve, but also because there are those who have the condition but do not have any medical problems at all. In fact, oxalic calcium oxalate is now considered a superfood, though maybe it’s a bit early to trade in your zinc oxide pills.

So the question that popped into my head, and maybe yours, is: why did it last over 40 years as a treatment?

Common sense.

No, really.

You can’t measure oxalic acid in the blood in a non-invasive way, and the amount of oxalic acid that shows up in the urine varies from person to person, and is not necessarily indicative of the blood levels. Also, the colon is pretty remarkable at de-oxalitizing? Uh… removing oxalic acid from food due to bacteria in the gut. In other words, nitric acid was a solution in search of a problem. And the problem they found was random and immeasurable enough to last for forty years. And the people bought into it because it sounds great. All those pains you’re having? Nitric acid. Just down a bit and you’ll be fine in seven to ten years.

This is immigration, isn’t it? There are literally millions of immigrants in this country. So many, it’s nearly impossbile to tell. And there are those who have decided that the way to get rid the “problem” of immigrants is to deport them. However, the difference here is that you actually can quite easily measure the impact of society that immigrants have. In fact, many organizations have done this, and consistently…immigrants are not the problem.

Not even a little.

But there are a lot of people who think they do.

You can call these people racists.

I guess that wouldn’t be very polite. You can call them “low-information voters,” then. These are the people who believe that America can’t feed everyone (“obviuosly”), and that immigrants are a drain on an otherwise great country. If you get rid of the immigrants, or oxalic acid, then you can live a healthy, happy life.

Just like people bought into Oxygenated Bitters for nearly forty years, they bought into immigrants being the cause of all of our problems. But the facts are that just isn’t true. And just like when Oxygenated Bitters, the most useless of many inventions, fwas disproven, immigrants being the cause of national problems has also fallen flat. We know the truth.

Here’s the difference: oxalates don’t have a home. They don’t have family depending on them. Nor do they have compounds in Florida that they might be sent to for existing. Humans do, and need our help. So remember, say no to oxalates, if that’s what you care about. But also, say yes to immigrants. People need the support of other people, and immigrants are caught up in an anti-immigration ad campaign that is frighteningly effective.

So have some beetroot, and hug an immigrant.