294 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



as to the nutritive value of various milling products and of the 

 bread made from them is collected in tabular form. 



The issue in the case of bread may be narrowed down to 

 two questions : first, is there anything scientifically wrong in 

 the present white bread ; secondly, are any of the alternative 

 breads suggested in any way better and more nutritious ? 

 Both questions are answered emphatically in the negative, 

 with the one caveat that there are possibly certain constituents 

 present in bread made from entire wheaten flours which render 

 them of special value. 



In defence of white bread, Dr. Hamill contradicts the 

 favourite statement of the reformers that bread made from 

 patents flour is merely a starchy food and agrees that the 

 strongest patents flour is actually the richest in protein con- 

 stituents. It is to be hoped that now this fact is upheld by 

 Government authority, the public will no longer be misled. 



He supports the views put out in Part I. of this article 

 that no real indication of the nutritive value of bread is given 

 by the protein value deduced empirically from the amount of 

 nitrogen present and that deductions as to the nutritive value 

 of the mineral matter derived from the determination of ash are 

 equally worthless. It is an advance to have these facts clearly 

 stated. 



The many difficulties and uncertainties caused by disturbing 

 factors of all kinds when attempts are made to determine the 

 action of the digestive juices and the manner in which absorp- 

 tion and assimilation of the products of digestion of bread take 

 place are fully realised : much remains to be done before any 

 conclusions of value can be arrived at. It is important in this 

 connexion not to overlook such factors as that of individual 

 preference. Whiteness is instinctively associated with cleanli- 

 ness and is therefore attractive to the palate. Snyder has 

 stated that during the course of his digestive experiments, 

 when the subjects were for some time restricted to a diet of 

 bread and milk only and were suffering from the severest 

 monotony of diet, there was the very strongest natural pre- 

 ference for white bread. 



Physiologists agree as to the importance of avoiding mono- 

 tony in diet — a diet consisting wholly of bread is not only 

 undesirable but probably suffices only for the bare maintenance 

 of life. 



