1919] FOODS — HUMAN NUTRITION. 69 



fuel value consumed and wasted, and the COS! per man por clay, and a tabic 

 shows the average daily consumption of the different articles of food. Differ- 

 ences between tliesc results and the regular garrison ration are pointed out. 

 and the advisability is suggested Of the readjustment of the ration to a basis 

 more nearly approaching the basis of choice, as shown by the surveys. It is 

 considered that this would result in (l) "reduction of waste by obliging organi- 

 sations to secure their luxuries by exercising rigid economy, (2) guarantying 

 a satisfactory distribution of nutrients, (3) the possibility of centralized pur- 

 chasing and consequent reduction in cost to the Government, and (4) training 

 the men on a ration basis much more nearly approaching the requirements of 

 held conditions." 



A biological analysis of pellagra-producing diets. — IV, The causes of 

 failure of mixtures of seeds to promote growth in young animals, E. V. Mc- 

 Coli.um and Nina Simmonds (Jour. Biol. Chem., S3 (1918), No. 2, pp. 303-811, 

 pis. 7). — In continuation of the investigations previously noted (E. S. It., 39, 

 p. 666), this paper discusses the supplementary relationships for nutrition of 

 mixtures of seeds as determined by feeding experiments on growing rats. 



The results indicate that seeds of plants can be classed together without 

 exception in their dietary properties in that they must be combined with other 

 foods which carry a much greater amount of calcium, sodium, and chlorin in 

 order to render them complete from the dietary standpoint. In lesser degree 

 the poor quality of the proteins of seeds and seed mixtures and the low con- 

 tent, with few exceptions, of fat-soluble A seem to be contributing factors in 

 causing the stunting of animals fed too largely on this class of vegetable foods. 



The authors are of the opinion that the poor quality of the protein content 

 of the diet is in all probability one of the factors in lowering the vitality of 

 those peoples who live during the winter season on a diet restricted to a few 

 articles, the chief one being corn or wheat bread. 



A biological analysis of pellagra-producing diets. — V, The nature of the 

 dietary deficiencies of a diet derived from peas, wheat flour, and cottonseed 

 oil, E. V. McCollum, Nina Simmonds, and H. T. Parsons (Jour. Biol. Ohem., 

 S3 (1918), No. 3, pp. 411-.',23. fifjs. 5; abs. in Chem. Abs., 12 (1918), No. 19, p. 

 200'/). — Continuing the investigation noted above, the authors have studied the 

 deficiencies of the diet with which Chittenden and Underbill (E. S. R., 36, 

 p. 764) produced in dogs the condition said to be similar to pellagra in man. 



As the result of experimental evidence, the authors conclude that this diet " is 

 not deficient in the sense that it fails to furnish a sufficient amount of another 

 specific substance which when present protects against the development of the 

 syndrome of pellagra. The deficiencies of this diet are all dependent upon the 

 shortage of the fat-soluble A, the character of the inorganic moiety, and the 

 relatively poor quality of its protein mixture. The experimental demonstra- 

 tion of this fact, provided the interpretation be accepted that the dogs were 

 suffering from a disease analogous to pellagra in man, eliminates a second syn- 

 drome, pellagra, from the list of supposed 'deficiency' diseases." 



A study of the diet of nonpellagrous and of pellagrous households in tex- 

 tile mill communities in South Carolina in 1916, J. Goi.dhkkgkk. G. A. 

 Wheklbb, and E. SXDENSTBICKES (Jour. Anicr. Med. Assoc, 11 (1918). No. 12. 

 pp. 9J,4-9.' f 9. fins. 2: abs. in Chem. Abs., 12 {1918), No. 23. pp. 2610. 8612).— In 

 continuation of the investigations on pellagra previously noted (E. S. R., 36, 

 p. 363), this paper gives a brief report of the results of a study of the relation- 

 ship of household diet to pellagra incidence in some cotton-mill village com- 

 munities in South Carolina. 



A comparison of the diets of pellagrous with those of nonpellagrous house- 

 holds led to the conclusion that the pellagra-producing dietary fault is the re- 



