14 INFLUENCE OF FOOD PRESERVATIVES ON HEALTH. 



of from thirty to seventy days, it was desirable to make the bill of 

 fare as varied as convenient. To this end the meats selected were 

 roast beef, beefsteak, lamb, veal chops, pork, chicken, and turkey. 

 Fish and oysters were also used. The eggs, which were served twice 

 a week, may also be included with the meats. The butter was of the 

 best quality which could be made and was free from coloring matter 

 and salt. The milk and cream were obtained from dairies carefully 

 inspected by the authorities of the District of Columbia and personally 

 visited by the Chief of the Bureau of Chemistry. The vegetables and 

 fruits were those of the season, and where they could not be obtained 

 otherwise the best grades preserved by sterilization alone were used. 

 The soups, in order to secure uniformity in their composition, were 

 purchased of large manufacturing firms making a specialty of soups. 

 In all cases it was stipulated that none of the foods furnished should 

 have been treated with any preservative. 



All the preserved foods which were employed had either been kept 

 in cold storage, as was the case with the meats and the fowls, or been 

 subjected to sterilization and subsequent exclusion of the air, as was 

 the case with some of the vegetables, fruits, and soups. Assurances 

 that these bodies were free from any chemical preservative or other 

 antiseptic were secured from all the dealers, and these assurances were 

 confirmed by our own examinations. 



Coffee and tea were allowed in moderate uniform quantities to those 

 who were in the habit of drinking these beverages. Desserts of vari- 

 ous kinds were employed at regular times, consisting of custards, rice 

 pudding, and ice cream made with the best cream, sugar, and a flavor- 

 ing substance. A liberal supply of fruits was incorporated with the 

 food supply, either those in season or those preserved by sterilization. 



The bill of fare was changed every day, but recurred regularly in 

 seven-day periods. This arrangement avoided the monotony of eating 

 the same kind of food on successive days, and at the same time favored 

 simplicity by the regularly recurrent use of established rations. This 

 was convenient, both for the cook and for the steward, to guide in the 

 one case in the methods of the preparation of the food, and in the 

 other to determine the character of the supplies to be purchased. 



Two rooms in the basement of the laboratory building were equipped 

 as kitchen and dining room, respectively. The kitchen was supplied 

 with two gas ranges and a full equipment of culinary utensils. The 

 dining room was plainly, yet substantially, furnished with the neces- 

 sary articles for preparing a table in a neat, attractive, but not 

 expensive, manner. 



SERIES AND PERIODS OF OBSERVATION. 



The entire experiment with boric acid and borax was divided into 

 five series of observations. Series I, III, and V dealing with one set of 



