PHYSIOLOGY AND THE FOOD PROBLEM 13 



when America was not a wheat-growing country 

 in order to discover how other cereals could be 

 adapted to the palate of the American nation. 



Just now, however, it is not our daily bread 

 that we worry about so much as our weekly butter. 



In the second half of 1917 the shortage in fats 

 became serious and led to a great reduction of the 

 fat ration. The reason was not far to seek, for 

 fats formerly used as food were split in the pre- 

 paration of glycerine for the manufacture of ex- 

 plosives. A fat chemically is a combination of 

 glycerine with certain organic acids which are called 

 fatty acids, and the question arose whether the 

 fatty acids which remained after the separation 

 of the glycerine could be made available for human 

 consumption. 



The question was referred to the Eoyal Society 

 Committee, and Professor Noel Paton and myself 

 were appointed a small sub -committee to investi- 

 gate and organise investigations on the matter. It 

 was estimated that some 100,000 tons a year of 

 these fatty acids could have been set free for the 

 purpose if they were found to be suitable for mixing 

 in with margarines. This would mean a substantial 

 gain to the fat supply of the nation which in 

 pre-war time was estimate4 at 1,650,000 tons per 

 annum, an amount far above the actual require- 

 ment, for fat more than any other food constituent 

 was extensively wasted. One of the duties of our 



