I 



FOODS HUMAN NUTRITION. 169 



The composition of some Beng'ali food materials, Hope Sherman and H. L. 

 HiGGiNS (Jour. Amcr. Chcm. Soc, 32 (1910), 'So. 4, PP- 558-561) .—The samples 

 examined included wheat, wheat ata (wheat flour), I'ice, gram, corn, dried 

 peas, and similar materials. The samples were furnished by D. McCay and 

 are of interest especially in connection with liis study of the dietetic habits of 

 Bengalis previously noted (E. S. R., 20, p. 767). 



" Of special interest in the results here shown is the large amount of fat in 

 the wheat ata. The proportion of fat in wheat flour, as commonly used in this 

 country and as shown by some 200 analyses, is from 0.3 to 1.9 per cent, while 

 for the 2 samples of wheat ata analyzed by us, it was 3.39 and 2.14 per cent, 

 respectively, and 2.90 per cent as shown by the Calcutta analyses [quoted for 

 comparison]. The higher percentage of fat will result in a corresix)udiug in- 

 crease in the heat of combustion. The proportion of fat in the gram dhall is 

 also high as compared with other varieties of dhall. being fully three times 

 that shown for any of the others, and the heats of combustion are likewise 

 higher." 



[Food of a poor fam.ily in Buffalo and one in Boston], Emma O. Lundberg 

 {Surrey, 23 (1910), No. 20, pp. 72S-730). — In connection with a review of a 

 volume previously noted (E. S. R., 21, p. 770), the author has given some data 

 regarding the diet of two families with small incomes and has calculated the 

 nutrients and energy supplied by the daily food. 



According to her data, the Buffalo family, consisting of father, mother, and 

 three children, with an income of about $600 a year, spent for food an amount 

 equal to 20 cts. a day for an adult. The diet supplied 170 gm. protein and 3,805 

 calories for an adult per day. In the case of the Boston family, consisting of 

 a mother, two children, and an infant, the calculated value of the diet was 

 101.2 gm. protein and 3,797 calories. [Misprints in the published figures have 

 been corrected in the abstract in accordance with data supplied by the author.] 



Cost of living' in Belgian towns, G. R. Askwith (London: Govt., 1910, pp. 

 XVI +218, map 1). — The results are given of an extended inquiry into the 

 housing, rents, budgets, retail prices, and hours of labor of Belgian workingmen, 

 and similar topics, 15 of the chief industrial towns being included. The detailed 

 reports are summarized and discussed with reference to conditions in England 

 and Wales. 



'• If allowance be made for the element of local rates included in the English 

 rents, the predominant rents paid in Belgian towns are only about three- 

 quarters of those paid in English towns for a corresponding amount of 

 accommodation. 



" As regards prices, on the other hand, there does not appear to be any such 

 marked difference, the general level in Belgian industrial towns being only 

 slightly below that prevalent in similar towns of England and Wales. Con- 

 sequently, on the assumption which has been adopted for these international 

 conii)arisons. it follows that an English workman, with an average family, who 

 should go to Belgium and endeavor to maintain there his accustomed mode of 

 living, would find his expenditure on housing, food, and fuel slightly diminished. 

 But at the same time, so far as can be .judged from the trades selected for 

 international comparison, he would find his wages reduced by about one-third, in 

 sjiite of much longer hours. . . . 



" Considered as a whole, the dietary of the Belgian working-class family 

 would seem to compare very favorably with that of the British family enjoying 

 the same income, especially when allowance is made for the smaller household. 

 A smaller number of eggs, less cheese, a smaller quantity of the miscellaneous 

 farinaceous foods, and much less sugar is consumed, and less is spent on coffee 

 and chicory than is expended on tea by the British family. Against these 



