FOODS HUMAN NUTRITION. 463 



Nutrition and diet, Emma Conley (Neiv York, Cincinnati, and Chicago, 

 1913, pp. 208, pis. 8, figs. 11).— Th\s volume, designed as a text-book for sec- 

 ondary schools, deals with the comi>osition of the human body and of foods 

 and their classification, digestion, the balanced meal, planning of meals, and 

 similar topics, and has chapters on the principal groups of foods. In a num- 

 ber of instances the form of statement might be nK»difled with advantage. 



The history of dietetics, J. B. Nichols (Pop. Sci. Mo., 83 {1913), No. 5, pp. 

 417-427). — In this summary and digest of data the author Has brought together 

 a large amount of information regarding the experimental study of this subject. 



Food and labor, J. Aiken {Tiniehri, Brit. Guiana, 3. ser., 2 {1912), No. 2, 

 pp. 287-291). — Data are presented and discussed regarding the cost of food of 

 laborers in British Guiana. 



Concerning- the food of agricultural laborers, Mrs. Maruarete Kloppkb 

 {Ztschr. Landw. Kavtmer Schlcsien, 17 {1913), No. -^^, pp. 1629-1632).— The 

 need for considering information regarding the preparation of food is pointed 

 out and a number of recipes given for dishes deemed particularly suitable for 

 rural regions. 



The enzymic action of fresh foods and condiments, T. Tadokoro {Jour. 

 Col. Agr. Tohoku Imp. Univ., 5 {1913), No. 2, pp. 57-72).— The carefully 

 expressed juice of udo sprouts, yam tubers, cabbage and lettuce leaves, cucum- 

 bers, onions, ginger, and horse-radish roots was used in these experiments. 



The enzymic action was tested in the following manner : Samples of raw and 

 of cooked juices from each vegetable were allowed to stand with solutions of 

 albumin, peptone, glycocoll, asparagin and urea, starch, amygdalin and salicin, 

 and hydrogen peroxid, and with castor oil emulsion ; the usual tests for peptase, 

 tryptase, amylase, lipase, etc., were then applied and the difference in the 

 results obtained from the cooked and uncooked samples was taken as the meas- 

 urement of the enzymic action from each vegetable, Oxidasis was tested by 

 color reactions. 



The author summarizes his results as follows: (1) Only ginger and onion 

 showed any noticeable peptolytic power; (2) tryptic action was more or less 

 apparent in all the juices except those from onion and horse-radish and was 

 strongest in that from cabbage; (3) none of the juices caused the liberation of 

 ammonia from glycocoll or asparagin, but small amounts were split off from 

 urea in the case of udo sprouts, yams, and ginger; (4) more or less diastatic 

 activity was noted in every case except onion, being strongest in ginger and 

 moderate in yams, horse-radish, and cabbage; (5)" lipolytic action was observ- 

 able only in cabbage; (6) glucosidases were found only with yams and cabbage; 

 (7) various oxidases appeared in all samples, being most noticeable in ginger 

 and onion; (8) catalytic activity was shown with all samples, being strongest 

 in ginger and onion. 



The author hoi:>es soon to report on the special nature and digestive influence 

 of the materials here considered. 



Studies on amylases. — VI, A comparison of amyloclastic and saccharo- 

 genic powers, H. C. Sherman and M. D. Schlesinger {Jour. Amcr. Chcm. 

 Soc, 35 {1913), No. 11, pp. 1784-1790). — A progress report on work previously 

 noted (E. S. R., 24, p. 122) regarding the activity of amylases under different 

 conditions. 



Studies on amylases. — VII, The forms of nitrogen in amylase preparations 

 from the pancreas and from malt, as shown by the Van Slyke method, H. C. 

 Sherman and A. O. Gettleb {Jour. Amer. CJiem. Soc, 35 {1913), No. 11, pp. 

 1790-1794) .—A continuation of the above. 



The prolin fraction of the hydrolysis products of casein, F. W. Foreman 

 {Biochcm. Ztschr., 56 {1913), No. 1-2, pp. 1-10).— Amino butyric acid, not 



