1019] FOODS — HUMAN NUTRITION. 557 



Alleged poisoning by potatoes, F. W. Harris and T. CocKBTTBH (Amrr. 

 Jour. Pharm., 90 (1918), No. 10. pp. 722-726).— A food poisoning outbreak in 

 Glasgow in 1917 is reported which is considered to have been caused b\ pota- 

 toes. As samples of the potatoes u»ed showed evidence of sprouting, their con- 

 tent of solanin was determined and found to he from five to six times the 

 amount which is found in normal, nnsprouted potatoes. Tins is in accord with 

 the results obtained by Meyer (K. S. R., 7, p. 749) with sprouted potatoes. A 

 Similar epidemic in Germany in 1899 is cited which was also attributed to 

 potatoes containing excessive amounts of solanin. 



In view of these tacts the authors emphasize the necessity for caution in the 

 use of potatoes which have begun to sprout. 



Production of popped rice in China, T. Sammons (Cf! 8. Dept. Com., Com. 

 Rpt8. t No. 12 (1918). p. 182).— A reprint from an article published in the 

 North China Daily Nor ft, describing the process of popping rice. The annual 

 production is estimated at about 50 tons. Usually the rice is colored either 

 red or yellow and is made up into various confections. The uncolored variety 

 is often used as a breakfast dish or porridge. 



The digestibility of soy bean meal by man. J. F. Lyman and W. G. Bowers 

 (Ohio Jour. Sri.. 18 (1918). No. 7, pp. 279-284 ) .—Two 3-day experiments with 

 soy-bean meal fed as a part of an ordinary mixed diet are recorded. In the first 

 experiment the soy-bean meal was mixed with wheat flour and made into a 

 yeast-raised bread ; In the second the soy-bean meal was prepared as a por- 

 ridge by cooking for 5 hours in a double boiler. 



The digestibility coeflicients obtained in the two experiments were as follows: 

 Protein, 91.3 and 90.9 per cent, and carbohydrate 96.9 and 96 per cent, respec- 

 tively. The carbohydrates, in addition to having a higher digestibility than 

 the carbohydrates of the common white bean, were found also to be less prone 

 to intestinal fermentation. 



Substitutes for native beans in the food of the French Army, Ballanu 

 (Compt. Rend. Acad. Agr. France. J, (1918), No. 26, pp. 740-7^).— Analyses 

 of foreign legumes, including beans from various countries, peas, chick-peas, 

 dolichos. and voandzeia. are reported and discussed. 



The uses of the peanut on the home table, J. R. Arsis (Fla. State Col. for 

 Women, Dept. Home Econ. Bui, 17 (1917), pp. 16).— The food value of the pea 

 nut is compared with that of other staple foods, and recipes for its greater 

 utilization are given. 



The Hawaiian taro as food, V. MacCaughey (Hawaii. Forester an J Agr., 14 

 (1917). No. 9. pp. 265-268) .—The author states that taro has a much lower 

 moisture content than either Irish or sweet potatoes, a higher fat content, a 

 lower protein content, and more than twice as much starch as the Irish potato 

 and nearly 50 per cent more than sweet potatoes. An analysis is reported, and 

 the uses of taro are discussed. 



A study of Dioscorea with starch determinations and cooking tests. L. S. 

 Clemente (Philippine Agr. and Forester, 6 (191S), No. 8, pp. 230-246). — This 

 paper records the results of starch determinations of varieties of yams used 

 as food before, during, and after maturity, and includes the complete analyses 

 of 12 representative varieties at maturity. It also discusses the comparative 

 cooking and table qualities. 



Possibilities of gulaman dagat as a substitute for gelatin in food, A. H. 

 Wells (Philippine Jour. Sci., Sect. A, 11 (1916), No. 6, pp. 267-271 ) .—This sea- 

 weed, which grows throughout the Philippine Archipelago, is used in two ways 

 as food. Washed free from salt water it is boiled and eaten as a salad, and 

 the sun-bleached, dried material is marketed as a cheap substitute for gelatin. 



