Maech 19, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



299 



by mail ballot counted on. February 2, in 

 order to constitute an acting executive com- 

 mittee conforming in organization witb the 

 statutes, to prepare the way for the first 

 annual meeting. As a result of that election 

 the following acting chairmen were elected: 

 Section (a) William Bowie, Section (&) 

 Harry Fielding Reid, Section (c) C. F. Mar- 

 vin, Section (d) L. A. Bauer, Section (e) 

 G. W. Littlehales, and Section (/) H. S. 

 Washington. 



Harey O. Wood, 

 Secretary, American Geophysical Union 



SPECIAL ARTICLES 



IS UNPALATABLE FOOD PROPERLY 

 DIGESTED?! 



It is well known that different psychic 

 stimuli promote or retard the secretion of 

 digestive juices. The following experiment 

 was conducted to determine whether the ulti- 

 mate return to the body from unpalatable 

 food was different from that of the same food 

 palatably served. 



dirty dishes. A little indol was sprinkled 

 about under the table. The subjects were 

 kept in ignorance of the constituents of the 

 impalatable mixture. The food was so un- 

 palatable that one subject vomited his first 

 meal shortly after he had eaten it. 



The table shows the finding, on the other 

 subject. 



The differences in utilization of the pala- 

 table and unpalatable foods were quite small 

 as were the variations in nitrogen retention. 

 This short test indicates that flavor is not the 

 outstanding dietetic asset that some people 

 would have us believe. If the stomach and 

 intestine can only be cajoled into making the 

 proper effort, the unsavory concoction can be 

 digested just about as satisfactorily as can 

 the food mixture which makes a stronger ap- 

 peal. If the things we eat have proper food 

 value, we need not worry unduly as to their 

 digestion, absorption, and utilization by the 

 normal body. This ought to be good news to 

 millions of people who eat unpalatable food 

 in untidy surroundings, in spite of the fact 



The experimental procedure was simple. A 

 Y-day period during which the subjects were 

 on a uniform diet, served palatably and amid 

 pleasant surroundings, was followed by a 2- 

 day period during which the same diet was 

 fed in an unpalatable condition and in dirty 

 and unpleasant surroundings. The food was 

 rendered unpalatable and unappetizing by the 

 following treatment. All the food ordinarily 

 used for each meal (meat, biscuits, jelly, 

 cornstarch, pudding, oleomargarine, etc.) was 

 stirred together in a large, flat porcelain dish. 

 The dish itself was smeared with animal char- 

 coal, as was the beaker used as a drinking 

 glass. The table was dirty and strewn with 



1 From the Laboratory of Physiological Chemis- 

 try, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa. 



that one of our leading physiologists says 

 " What man likes best he digests best." This 

 experiment simply shows how insulting we 

 can be to the normal stomach and get away 

 with it but does not necessarily prove this 

 to be the wisest policy. 



Ealph C. Holder, 

 Clarence A. Smith, 

 Philip B. Hawk 

 Jefferson Medical College, 

 Philadelphia 



THE WESTERN SOCIETY OF 

 NATURALISTS 



The iN'orthwestern Division of the Western 

 Society of ^Naturalists held its holiday meet- 

 ing on January 2, in Portland, Oregon. 



