14 PHYSIOLOGY AND NATIONAL NEEDS 



little sub -committee consisted in examining and 

 reporting upon various contrivances for fat-saving, 

 but the main issue before us was the possible 

 utilisation of the fatty acids just referred to. We 

 have had assistance from workers in several labora- 

 tories and also from important firms, for instance, 

 the Olympia Mills at Selby. After a visit to the 

 Selby Mills, undertaken by my colleague. Dr. 

 Drummond, where he was supplied with the tech- 

 nical details that were necessary, arrangements were 

 made for a supply of fats, mainly of vegetable 

 origin and of the fatty acids prepared from them, 

 to be sent to the laboratories where experiments 

 were conducted. At that time we did not know 

 how long the war was going to last and so we 

 selected rats as the animals upon which the experi- 

 ments were made, for a few weeks or months in 

 the life of these animals form a very considerable 

 portion of their life span. 



The first specimens received were not appetising, 

 and in fact could not have been rendered fit for 

 human food, but subsequently with improved 

 methods the impurities in the material were lessened 

 so that these were actually employed for experi- 

 ments upon man. The rats took the fatty acids 

 and thrived upon them and actually produced 

 young during the experimental period, but the 

 ultimate experiment must always be made upon 

 man himself, for it would never do to go to the 



