1062 EXPERIMENT STATION KECORD. 



'■ 'rii('S(> codkcis (l(>sijj:iK>(l by the Subsistonce Deinirtiiiont conil)ine lightness of 

 \vi'i,i,'lil witli siiihility of ((•iistruction. and are intended to stand long travel on 

 rough roads and assure (lu> iK'rfcction of (he contents at the end of the .lourney. 

 This method of t-ool^ing will insure hot meals of excellent quality on the march, 

 on bivouac, or on the liriug line, save expense and labor, and largely contribute 

 to the li(>alth and comfort of the troops." 



The up-to-date home. Money and labor saving appliances, M. Lk Hosquet 

 illiiJ. Aiiicr. ScIkxiI Jlanic J'Jcon.. /S'cr. J., 190S, A'o. //, p/*, J/S, fif/s. 5-'i). — Kitchen 

 aiiiiliances and laboi'-sa viiig devices, alcohol as fuel, electric cooidng, gas, laun- 

 dry appliances, and other sinular questions are discussed in this summary of 

 data which is based on tests made and information collected by the author. 



Experiments with an ash-free diet, II. W. Goodall and K. V. .Ioslin (Trans. 

 Axsoc. Aincr. I'Jnixicians. 2,i (ttlOS), pp. D2-W(!). — The ash-free diet nse<l in 

 tlie exi)eriments rei)orted consisted of si)ecinlly prepared egg albumin, olive 

 oil. and sugar. Two healthy individuals were subjects of the experiments, 

 which were continued for periods of 13 and 9 days, resi)ectively. 



According to the authors, the results obtained indicate no marked clianges 

 in metabolism ascribable to the ash-free diet. The experimental data " simply 

 represent the withdrawal of accessory salts from the body. They confirm the 

 views of eaiiier writers, that it is practically impossible to diminish the chloriu 

 of the body by more than 10 to 14 per cent, and that the loss is proi)ortionate 

 to this. No remarkable symi)toms appeared, and those that occurred were 

 rather less than would be exi)ected from such a diet, even though it contained 

 a normal quantity of salts. We do not feel that they afford a basis for any 

 far-reaching deductions as to changes in metabolism, and they certainly give 

 no support to the view that the withdrawal of salts from the diet will cause 

 an acidosis of the acetone variety." 



The jiaper is followed by a discussion. 



The effect of certain food accessories on the activity of digestive juices, 

 K. ToGAMi (Jrturhcm. Ztschr., 9 (1908), No. 5-6, pp. J,5,i-Jf 62). —The tea in- 

 fusion used hindered the activity of the salivary and pancreatic enzyms and 

 of pei)sin in artificial digestion exi)eriments. Coffee infusion made from ordi- 

 nary coffee, and that with a low caffein content, did not exercise any effect on 

 these digestive enzyms. Chocolate infusion slightly diminished the digestive 

 power of pepsin. From his results the author draws the general conclusion 

 that when of usual strength the materials studied exercise no harmful effect 

 ni)on digestive ferments. If, however, the infusions are very strong, the reverse 

 may be the case, as was shown by the tests with tea. 



A study of the enzyms of the human pancreatic and intestinal juice 

 obtained through a jejunal fistula, J. H. Hoklscher (Thcr. (laz., S2 (1908). 

 No. 10, pp. 692-703). — According to the author the experiments which he re- 

 ported show that the amylolytic ferment present in the digestive juice studied 

 and which changes maltose into glucose is glucase. " It could be shown that 

 part of the sugar formed in the experiments was glucose; this was due to the 

 presence of an active glucase furnished by the succus entericus of the snuill 

 intestine. 



" It could be shown by other experiments that the proteolytic ferment present 

 was trypsin and not pepsin: it acted best in an alkaline, poorer in a neutral, 

 and very poor or not at all in an acid solution. Besides, in one experiment 

 the presence of leucin and tyrosin as the end-product of the proteolytic fermen- 

 tation was shown. This proved beyond doubt that the proteolytic ferment 

 present was trypsin. Only once did we succeed in demonstrating the presence 

 of lipase; but it is a well-known fact that the latter is a very unstable enzym, 



