FOODS HUMAN NUTRITION. 463 



merits, preserves, meats, sujiars, cannod tjooils, stock foods, and other materials. 

 Of 188 samples examined 9!) were fonnd to be legal and S3 illegal, and were 

 passed. 



Annual report of the chemical inspection station at the Hygienic Institute 

 of Halle University, M. Klostermann (Ifyg. Rundschau, 19 (IHO!)), \o. II, 

 pp. ()3o-U(},i). — I>ata are given regarding the examination of meat and meat 

 goods, milk and milk products, bread and baker's goods, spices, vinegar, honey, 

 tea, and coffee, and concerning utensils, etc. 



Circular letters issued by order of the State board of health, H. E. Barnard 

 (.1/0". Bui. IiiiL Bd. llrulth, 11 (1909), No. 3, pp. 37-3.0).— Bleached tlonr, alum 

 in pickles, sidewalk display of foodstuffs, unprotected foodstuffs, and sausage 

 and meat products are the subjects which are discussed with respect to Indiana 

 legislative enactments. 



Official inspections {Maine Hta. Off. In.sps. 7, pp. 8; 8, pp. 9-16; 11, pp. 

 61-72). — The subjects included are food and drug standaixls, regulations gov 

 erning the sale of carbonated beverages for 1909, labeling goods sold from 

 opened packages, data regarding bleached flour, benzoate of soda, sulphur 

 dioxid, ice cream and ice cream substitutes, and reports of the examination 

 of a number of samples of flavoring extracts, soda and cream of tartar, caimed 

 sweet corn, maple sugar, prepared flours, spices and pepper, rice, cider vinegar, 

 alcohol, extract of peppermint, and sweet spirits of niter. 



A uniform standard for meat inspection, F. Matarotti (Rev. Facult. Agron. 

 y Yet. La Plata, 2. ser., 5 (1909), pp. l-'i8-152). — The author proposes a plan 

 fV)r uniform standards in meat inspection in Pan-American countries. 



Inspection of products of animal origin, J. E. Kichelkt (Rev. Facult. 

 Agron. y Vet. La Plata, 2. ser., 5 (1909), pp. 231i-267). — The history of meat 

 products, methods of preservation, decomposition, and other similar questions 

 are considered. 



The influence of boric acid on diastatic reactions, H. Agulhon (Coinpt. 

 Rend. Acad. »S'«. [Paris], 11,8 (1909), No. 20, pp. 1-31,0-131,2).— According to 

 the author's investigations, boric acid has in general only a slight retarding 

 action on diastases, and he believes this offers an explanation of its weak 

 antiseptic properties. 



Minimal quantities of food preservatives, J. F. Snell (Science, n. ser., 29 

 (1909), No. 755, pp. 970-972). — A critical discussion of a graphic method for 

 showing the comparative influence of foods and preservatives in a bulletin of 

 the Bureau of Chemistry previously noted (E. S. R.. 18, p. 565). 



The standard of living among workingmen's families in New York City, 

 R. C. Chapin (New York, 1909, pp. 372, dgms. 76).^The object of the investi- 

 gation reported in this volume was to ascertain the essentials and cost of a 

 normal standard of living in the cities and towns of New York State. 



Very complete schedules of inquiry were received from 642 families in New 

 York City, of which 391 were accepted as normal and accurate. The bulk of 

 these represented incomes between $600 and $1,000. 



From the large amount of very suggestive data set forth in detail, it is con- 

 cluded that an income under $800 is not enough to permit the maintenance of 

 a normal standard, while $900 or over probably does permit it. at least so far 

 as the physical man is concerned. 



The failure to maintain a normal standard, the author believes, may be due 

 to causes quite outside of the capacity of the individual breadwinner or of 

 the economic forces that determine the rate of wages, two of these outsid(> 

 considerations being the presence of too large families and the inability to 

 make a wise use of the money earned. 



