FOODS NUTRITION. 183 



••The addition of small quantities of borax or boracic acid to the food of healthy 

 subjects, even fur a considerable period, extending in some cases to fifty days, pro- 

 duces a slight disturbance in the digestion and assimilation of the i 1. 



" In larger quantities the effect produced upon different individuals varies. In 

 some cases large quantities are tolerated with apparently little inconvenience, while 

 in other cases, when the amount given daily reaches 2 or :; gms., somewhat profound 

 disturbances of normal conditions are developed. These disturbances are manifested 

 by a feeling of depression and discomfort, attended very frequently by a dull and 

 continued headache, with a sense of fullness in the head. In no instance, even when 

 large doses were administered, did either borax or boracic acid produce any 

 pronounced symptoms of diarrhea or diuresis. 



"When pushed to the limit of toleration the quantities of the borax or boracic 

 acid which produce nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite vary greatly with the 

 individual. In some cases these symptoms were produced by from :; to 4 gms. daily, 

 while in other instances these quantities could he tolerated. 



"The elimination of the added borax or boracic acid is accomplished mostly 

 through the kidneys. The merest traces of the ingested substances are found in the 

 feces, and considerable quantities in the perspiration. 



"The effect of the added preservatives upon the metabolic processes is of such a 

 character as to he properly discussed only in connection with the analytical data 

 relating thereto, and this discussion will be found in the proposed bulletin. 



"By rea>on of the different degrees of susceptibility to the influences of these 

 added substances manifested by different individuals, it is evident that it is impossi- 

 ble to foretell in any given case what effect may lie expected. For this reason the 

 protection of those more sensitive to the influences of these preservatives seems to 

 he a wise and just measure. Hence, without concluding from this experiment that 

 the use of boracic acid and borax in food products should he absolutely prohibited, 

 it is evident that if they are employed proper notice of the fact should be given to 

 the consumer, either on the labels of the packages or otherwise." 



Cream as a farm product and a food, J. <). Peet (Jour. British Dairy Farmers' 

 Assoc, 17 i !9ii.'\. pp. 17-26). — Different methodsof obtaining cream, its preservation, 

 food value, and other topics are spoken of. 



As pointed out by the author, "cream is a highly concentrated food, especially rich 

 in fat, which is the most efficient of all food constituents in the production of heat 

 and energy in the body of the consumer. Foods rich in fat are usually somewhat 

 difficult of digestion, and are neither very agreeable to the majority of palates, nor 

 easily retained by delicate stomachs. The fat of cream, however, like that of most 

 dairy products, is easily digested, probably because of the very line --fate of division 

 in which it is present. 



••('ream is al.-o easily retained by the stomach, and is frequently given to patients 

 suffering from diseases in which a light, nutritious, and easily retained diet forms an 

 important part of the curative treatment. The proportion of fat is too high for it to 

 he classed as a well-balanced food, and it is unsuitable for forming a large proportion 

 of a diet; but it is a most nourishing and agreeable constituent of a mixed diet, and 

 iH use along with tea, fruit, and pastry is certainly increasing amongst the middle 

 and the artisan classes.'' 



Breakfast foods, C. E. Elms ( Iowa Agr., .', (1904), -V"- h pp. 19-21).— A brief 

 summary of a publication previously noted (E. S. R., 15, p. 884). 



Paraguay tea, F. W. Neger and L. Vanino (Der Paraguay-Thee. Stuttgart: F. 

 (iriih, 1903, i'i>. 56, figs. 22; rev. '■,< Ztschr. Untersuch. Nahr. ". GenussmU., 7 I 1904), 

 No. 10, p. 637). — In this monograph the authors discuss the botany, culture, chem- 

 istry, and uses of Paraguay tea, and related questions. 



Judging natural ice, M. Klostermann (Ztschr. Untersuch. Nahr. ». GenussmU., 7 

 (1904), No. 9, pp. 546-549). — The need of caution in the use of ice is insisted upon, 



