OLEOMARGARINE. 155 



is entirely different in oleomargarine and in butter; that the amount, 

 for instance, of butyric acid in the one is very much greater than in 

 the other. The amount of butyric acid that they get is the amount 

 that is secured from the milk that is churned with their product. The 

 amount that is naturally in butter is a larger percentage, and just what 

 efi'ect this condiment has and doubtless it acts as a condiment in some 

 way; at all events, it gives a special flavor and aids in the digestion, it 

 is believed just what effect this condiment has we do not know, and 

 physiologists do not know. It think it is agreed that it bears an 

 important relation to the digestibility of this substance and of other 

 substances in the human stomach, but just what its operation is is not 

 known. The other thing which the chemical analysis discloses is that 

 the amount of stearin in oleomargarine is much greater. Dr. Wiley 

 says it is about five times as much as is found in butter. 



Senator HEITFELD. The amount of what? 



Mr. HAMILTON. Stearine. 



Senator HEITFELD. Is that added? 



Mr. HAMILTON. Some of it is added and some is found in the oils 

 out of which oleomargarine is produced. So that in those respects 

 and they are very* important respects these substances differ from 

 each other in a chemical view. 



Now, so far as heat units are concerned that is, the amount of 

 energy -producing power that the two substances contain that, our 

 physiologists say, is about equal, so far as they can determine. 



Senator HEITFELD. Does any user of butter consume enough to give 

 any particular energy to the body ? 



Mr. HAMILTON. The energy is transmitted into heat and is measured 

 in heat units. One unit, or calory, as they call it, which is a unit of 

 energy, is regarded by these physiologists as equivalent to heat suffi- 

 cient to raise water 4 F. ; so for every unit of energy there is heat 

 enough to do that thing. 



Mr. MATHEWSON. How much water? 



Mr. HAMILTON. A pound of water 4 F. 



Mr. MATHEWSON. How much butter does it take to make a unit? 



Mr. HAMILTON. The exact amount is given here. One gram of the 

 ordinary butter fat is equal to about nine calories, which would be 

 about 36 of heat; a little more than that. It would be pretty nearly 

 40 of heat. So that there is a great deal of energy -producing power 

 in butter. But that was only incidental. The thing I started to say, 

 gentlemen of the committee, was this, that in that respect these two 

 substances seem to be on about the same basis. The analysis shows 

 that they contain about the same amount of butter fat, and so their 

 energy-producing power is equal. 



The fallacy of their argument comes in right there. They say that 

 because these substances are equal, therefore they are equally nutri- 

 tious and beneficial. That does not follow at all, and it is to that point 

 that 1 want to call your attention just for a little to show that that is a 

 mistake or at least that the unqualified assertion that these two are 

 equally noninjurious to health is simply an assumption, and is not 

 based upon any reliable ascertained data that has been continued for 

 any length of time. 



We have very familiar examples of how things that are identical 

 produce entirely different effects. 1 know a lady who for the last 

 seven or eight years could not eat fresh bread or bread that had been 



