236 Biochemical News, Notes, and Comment 



Prices of FOODS IN Germany. The Commandant at Berlin 

 and Mark Brandenburg, Feb. i, issued an order which set the prices 

 of flour per pound as follows : rye fl., 22 pf. (about 6 cents) ; wheat 

 fl., 24 pf. ; pure wheat fl., 30 pf. The so-called Ger. black bread (rye 

 bread) is whiter than in peace times, because of the considerable 

 addition of wheat fl. ; and the Ger. "bun" (semmel), which for- 

 merly was very dark in color, has now just about the same appear- 

 ance as it had in normal times. 



According to the last official report from Berlin, the price has 

 been reduced considerably for beef, veal and mutton, as well as for 

 spinach and many other vegetables. According to its quality, meat 

 costs per pound : beef, i m., 66 pf. to i m., 82 pf. (40 to 45 cents) ; 

 veal, I m., 80 pf. to i m., 89 pf. ; mutton, i m., y^) P^- to i m., 93 pf. ; 

 pork, I m., 40 pf. Butter costs 2 m., 68 pf. a Ib. ; 10 Ib. of potatoes 

 40 pf. ; I egg, 24 pf. Berlin letter: Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc, 

 1916, Ixvi, p. 1039. 



Authorization of the sale of skimmed milk. Milk is con- 

 stantly becoming scarcer. The permanent commit. of agric, which 

 discussed this problem at its last meeting, has therefore concluded 

 that it would be desirable to allow skim. milk to be sold in com- 

 merce for the use of adults on condition that it contains not less than 

 1.5 percent of fat (up to the present a minimum fat content of 

 about 3.3 percent has been required). The commit. has indicated 

 that this skim. milk ought not to be given to infants and that when- 

 ever such milk is sold, not directly to consumers from the producers, 

 but through middlemen, it should be pasteurized. To avoid con- 

 fusion of skim. milk with unskim. milk and the frauds which might 

 thus arise, the commit. has advised that this product should be 

 sold only in Containers bearing in conspicuous letters the words 

 "skimmed milk" and the directions, "not to be fed to infants." 

 Professors Chauveau and Mossu assert that skimmed milk has a 

 caloric value equal to more than one-half that of unskim. milk. 

 Paris letter: Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc, 1916, Ixvi, p. 1212. 



German prison CAMPS. Typhus fever is a sure index of san. 

 insufficiency and under feeding, and the fact that outbreaks of the 

 disease have occurred in most if not all Ger. prison camps is not 

 denied. Quite probably the sufferings of the prisoners are in many 



