i9o8.] UPON HEALTH AND METABOLISM. 303 



it at a higher price than it really should command, it is evident that 

 unless the pecuniary conditions attending the use of these bodies 

 were favorable they would not be employed. 



When the claims which are made by manufacturers respecting 

 the use of these substances are carefully considered, we find that 

 most of them are without foundation. In regard to the supposed 

 general preference for artificial color. I would say that an experi- 

 ment performed on a large number of totally unbiased people has 

 convinced me beyond any reasonable doubt that the great majority 

 of American consumers would prefer uncolored foods. The ex- 

 periment mentioned was made on about sixty different men during 

 a period of five years to determine whether or not they preferred 

 an artificially colored food or one in its natural tint. Butter, which 

 is perhaps the one food product most universally colored in this 

 country, was used. The subjects on whom the experiment was tried 

 had been in the habit of using nothing except colored butter, hence, 

 if there was any prejudice existing in their minds it must have been 

 in favor of the article which they had constantly consumed. More- 

 over, the test was made in the winter time when the uncolored but- 

 ter has the least tint of the whole year, being almost white. No 

 attempt was made to inform the men of the nature of these prod- 

 ucts. The natural butter and the colored butter were moulded in 

 the same forms and placed upon the same plate, and offered with- 

 out comment of any kind. At first very few of the men would do 

 more than look at the uncolored butter, A very common expres- 

 sion was, " This is oleomargarine." A few made a trial of its 

 properties. Little by little, without any propaganda of any kind, 

 the whole attitude of these men changed. In the course of four 

 or five months nine tenths of them were using the uncolored butter 

 and they expressed a most decided antipathy to the use of the col- 

 ored butter when at certain times the supply of the uncolored butter 

 was exhausted. 



I believe that this completely refutes the arguments of those who 

 claim that they color butter to meet the demand of the consumer. 

 In point of fact, the color in butter has been almost from the first 

 a fraudulent process. It is a common belief that the best butter of 

 the year is produced during the early spring months, and especially 



