ROME ECONOMICS AND EDUCATION 631 



in scientific work were chosen from volunteers for the experiment. 

 They promised upon honor to observe all rules made for them and 

 at the end certified upon honor that they had done so. The fare 

 was varied and ample. It consisted of the best quality of meats, 

 poultry, fish, butter, milk, eggs, vegetables, fruits, etc. The time 

 varied from 30 to 70 days to study the Sffect of continued use. The 

 investigation as a whole lasted from Dec. 16, 1902, to June 29, 

 1903. There were the usual three periods to each experiment. A 

 fore-period to determine the exact condition of each member, the 

 regulation of amount of food needed and during this no preserva- 

 tive was taken; the middle or preservative period; and the after 

 period. At first small quantities such as would be present in the 

 meats consumed were used, and later increased to find the amount 

 that would be tolerated by the system. This borax or boric acid 

 was first mixed with the butter but later taken in capsules. The 

 rations of each member were weighed, the members were weighed, 

 the blood was examined, temperatures determined, excreta weighed 

 and analyzed, and the mental attitude of the men considered also. 

 As the experiments extended over many months the men became 

 used to the fact that they were taking a preservative. 



When boric acid, or its equivalent in borax, is taken into the 

 food in small quantities, not exceeding half a gram (7% grains) 

 a day, no notable effects are immediately produced. The medical 

 symptoms of the cases in long-continued exhibitions of small doses 

 or in large doses, extending over a shorter period, show in many in- 

 stances a manifest tendency to diminish the appetite and to pro- 

 duce a feeling of fullness and uneasiness in the stomach, which in 

 some cases results in nausea, with a very general tendency to produce 

 a sense of fullness in the head, which is often manifested as a dull 

 and persistent headache. There appear in some instances sharp 

 and well-located pains which, however, are not persistent. Al- 

 though the depression in the weight of the body and some of the 

 other symptoms produced persist in the after periods, there is a 

 uniform tendency manifested after the withdrawal of the preserva- 

 tive toward the removal of the unpleasant sensations in the stomach 

 and head above mentioned. 



The administration of boric acid to the amount of 4 or 5 

 grams per day, or borax equivalent thereto, continued for some 

 time results in most cases in loss of appetite and inability to per- 

 form work of any kind. In many cases the person becomes ill and 

 unfit for duty. Borax and boric acid are recognized as valuable 

 remedies in medicine, and there are certain diseases in which these 

 remedies are regularly prescribed, both for internal and external 

 use. The fact that any remedy is useful in disease does not appear 

 to logically warrant its use at any other time. 



It appears, therefore, that both boric acid and borax, when 

 continuously administered in small doses for a long period, or when 

 given in large quantities for a short period, create disturbances of 

 appetite, of digestion and of health. (Bur. Chem. Bui. 84, Pt. 

 I, Gir. 15.) 



