FOODS NUTRITION. 1071 



amounts eaten and exereted in tlie urine and feces were determined. Tlie ^reni-ral 

 conclusions follow: 



"From our research, we regard the conclusion justifieii that copper, when in<,'ested 

 in the form in which it occurs in carefully preserved peas, is for the most part voided 

 directly with the feces, and differs, in so far as concerns its absorption and retention 

 by the human body, from the ordinary salts of copper." 



Report on the injiuence of formic aldehyde npon (he metabolism of children, F. IT. 'Pnn- 

 nicliffe and Otto Rosenheim (pp. 818-33(), fij^s. 10).— Abstracted from another i.uMica- 

 tion [l\ S. R., 13, p. 774). 



Report on tlie influence of boric acid and borax upon the general vielaholism of children, 

 F. W. Tunnicliffe and Otto Rosenheim (pp. 337-354, figs. 9).— The literature of the 

 subject is reviewed and experiments on the effect of borax and boric acitl reported, 

 in which the metabolism of nitrogen and phosphorus and the assimilation of fat 

 were the special features studied. The conclusions which were drawn follow: 



" [As regards boric acid] small doses up to 1 gm. per diem, continued for some time, 

 exert, in healthy or delicate children, no influence upon proteid metal)olism. The 

 a.ssimilati()n of the proteid food was improved in one healthy child (B). The phos- 

 phorus metabolism was unaffected in all cases. The assinulation of phosphorus was in 

 all cases improved. The assimilation of fat was not affected. The body weight 

 increased in all cases. The quantity of dry feces was not affected. Their nitrogen and 

 phosphorus i)ercentage was slightly decreased. No inhibitory effect upon intestinal 

 putrefaction could be demonstrated. 



"[As regards borax] continued doses of 1.5 gm. have no influence in healtliy or 

 delicate children upon proteid metabolism. The proteid assimilation was unaf- 

 fected in healthy children, slightly depressed in the delicate child. The phosphorus 

 metabolism was not affected in healthy or delicate children. The assimilation of 

 phosphorus was improved in all cases, the improvement being least marked in the 

 case of the delicate child. The fat assimilation was improved in the case of one 

 healthy child, and unaffected in the case of the others. The body weight was 

 increased in all cases; the increase was most marked in the case of the delicate child. 

 The weight of dry feces and their nitrogen phosphorus percentage remained unaltered. 

 Borax tended rather to increase intestinal putrefaction. 



"[When given together] both boric acid and borax were quickly eliminated, no 

 cumulative action being therefore probable. Neither boric acid nor 1)orax in any 

 way affected tlie general health and well-being of the children." 



Digestibility of proteins, A. Jolles {Monatsh. ('hem., ^2 {1901), jip. 991-995; 

 abs. in Jour. Soc. Chem. Tnd., 21 {1902), No. 2, p.- 132). — The author has shown in 

 earlier investigations that there are differences in the constitution of proteids, and 

 that the constitution influences the portion of nitrogen which is converted into urea 

 on oxidation. Experiments with man were undertaken to learn the comparative 

 nutritive value of casein and fibrin, the former yielding about 73 per cent of its 

 nitrogen as urea and the latter about 45 percent. In the ca.sein period 1«).7 per 

 cent of the total nitrogen of the food was absorl)ed, and in the fibrin period 34.3 per 

 cent. According to the author, therefore, the i)hysiologi(al nutritive value of the 

 proteids as regards nitrogen depends on the amount of the urea forming groups. The 

 hexone bases were apparently less completely utilized than (he nitrogenous bases, 

 since they «'oul<l be detected (juantitatively in the feces. 



Sixth report on food products, E. H. Jenkins {Omnedicut State Sta. Rpt. 1901, 

 pt. 2, pp. 95-102). — The State laws regulating the sale of foods are quoted, and details 

 of the work of the station in carrying out the provisions of the law are given. Dur- 

 ing the year, 1,686 samples were examined. 



Milk and cream, A. L. Winton, I. F. H.arri.s, and M. iSilvekman {<'onnecti<-ut State 

 Sta. Rpt. 1901, pt. 2, p}>. 102-118).— (M samjiles of milk analyzed during the year, 8.5 

 per cent were found to be adulterated, the greater part by skinnmng or watering. 



