FOODS NUTRITION. 377 



According to the authors "All the cereal foods examined were good articles and 

 the average prices as a rule are not exorbitant. On the contrary, when compared 

 with the meats and vegetables, the most of them must be classed as very economical 

 foods. The prices are exceedingly variable and, so far as ordinary chemical analysis 

 shows, furnish no measure of the value of the goods. On the other hand, while their 

 comparative digestibility has not yet been well worked out, there can be no doubt 

 that the attempts to increase the digestibility of some of these goods by special treat- 

 ment has been successful and persons of weak digestion would find it to their 

 advantage to base their selection upon other data than that here given. Fortunately 

 the invalids are still in the minority, and the average consumer, who will experience 

 difticulty with any of these foods, is not justified in i)aying 20 cts. i)er pound for a 

 cereal preparation when another, that will serve his purpose exactly as well, can be 

 had at 5 or 6 cts." 



The relative cost of home cooked and purchased food ( MdnsdchioicUs Jjibor 

 Bui., 1901, No. 19, ])p. 67-98). — The committee on domestic service of the Boston 

 branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnpe studied the possibility of providing 

 an acceptable diet from foods cooked out of the house, and the comparative cost of 

 the same foods if cooked at home. Two tests were made, one of 3 and one of 6 days, 

 as well as a study of the time required and the comparative cost of preparing food 

 when coal, gas, and oil were used as sources of heat. The latter study also covered 

 () days. It was found: "(1) That a well- varied menu of good quality could l)e pro- 

 vidcil for a large family from food prepared outside the house; (2) that the expense 

 was greater when the food was bought outside; and (3) that there was a great saving 

 in time and laVxjr by the purchase of food outside." In the first test the average 

 cost per person per meal, including fuel and labor, w" hen the food was cooked outside 

 the house was 25.569 cts.; when the same food was pre})ared at home the average 

 cost was 16.485 cts. In the second test the corresponding values were 19.533 cts. and 

 15 cts. " The saving in time by the purchase of the food ready cooked was very 

 great. In the first experiment 4 J hours were required to prepare the cooked food 

 for the table. It took 32i hours to cook the same food in the house. In the second 

 experiment the difference was also very marked. The time needed for preparing 

 the food cooked outside was 11 hours, while it took 4I5 hours for the home-cooked 

 articles." The fact was recognized that it would only l)e possible to provide a satis- 

 factory menu with read>'-cooked foods in large towns offering the necessary market 

 facilities. 



The nutritive value of hens' eggs, G. Lebbin {Therap. Monatsli., 15 {1902), pp. 

 552, 553; abs. in. Ztschr. Untersuch. Nahr. u. Genussmtl., 5 {1902), No. I4, p. 664). — A 

 digestion experiment is reported, in which a healthy man consumed 22 eggs in 2 days. 

 Especial interest attaches to the fact that the lecithin and neutral fat were determined. 

 The coefficients of digestibility obtained follow: Dry matter 95.01, protein 97.59, total 

 ether extract 95.77, lecithin 91.03, neutral fat 98.00, and ash 70.38 per cent. 



The composition and nutritive value of biltong, W. D. Halliburton ( BritisJi 

 Med. .Jour., 1902, No. 2154, p}>- 8S0-S82). — The author reports an analysis and artifi- 

 cial digestion experiments. Biltong, which is the sun-dried flesh of the springbok, 

 is prepared in considerable amounts in South Africa and will keep in good condition 

 for a long time. When used as food the hard strips are usually scraped or grated. 

 According to the author this material has the following percentage composition: 

 Water 19.4, protein 65.9, fat 5.1, glycogen 0.1, sugar 0.1, extractives (by difference) 

 2.8, and ash 6.6. As shown l)y the artificial digestion experiments, biltong was 

 somewhat less soluble than dried filjrin, or dried rabbit muscle. It was, however, 

 according to the author, quite tliorouglily digested. 



Effect of preserving meat by covering it with different salts, T. Ktschel 

 {Arrh. Jlyg., 43 {1902), No. 2, pp. 134-150). — Experimental data are reported. 



The estimation of the fat content of wheat bread, and the possibility of 

 determining whether bread is made with milk or water, or whether it con- 



