Mabch 8, 1918] 



SCIENCE 



231 



traction flours at a lower cost than the present 

 one. Millers argue that whole-wheat and 

 graham flours do not keep in storage as long 

 as patent flours. At the present time, this is 

 not a question demanding consideration, for 

 the flours are utilized within a few weeks of 

 the time they are milled. 



I do not wish to be interpreted as advocat- 

 ing the milling of flour containing the entire 

 wheat kernel, but I feel that at the present 

 time the higher extraction flours could be used 

 to advantage. 



From the standpoint of mineral nutrition, 

 the higher extraction flours are more valuable 

 as they contain a greater proportion of the 

 mineral matter than the patent flours. The 

 vitamines or growth-promoting substances (A 

 the wheat kernel are stored largely in the germ 

 and are lost in the bran when patent flours 

 are made. From this standpoint the higher 

 extraction flours are more valuable. 



It is an accepted fact that a large proportion 

 of people are troubled with constipation ; the 

 higher extraction flours are valuable to correct 

 this. In this connection we are told that the 

 Belgian peoiJe were ordered by Mr. Herbert 

 Hoover to make bread containing more white 

 flour because of the digestive troubles experi- 

 enced by the people on the whole-grain bread 

 diet. Mr. W. C. Edgar, editor of the North- 

 western Miller, states in one of his editorials 

 that he was responsible for this order, having 

 observed the digestive troubles experienced by 

 the people. Mr. Hoover acted upon Mr. Edgar's 

 suggestion. Dr. A. E. Taylor, physiological 

 chemist at the University of Pennsylvania, 

 went over the same ground and concluded 

 that the people were suffering fronr malnutri- 

 tion due to a one-sided diet, largely bread. 

 He believes the digestive troubles to be sec- 

 ondary, due to broken-down constitutions and 

 inability of the people to ward off disease. 

 The latter conclusion seems the most logical, 

 for the experience of the American people has 

 been in direct opposition to the former idea, 

 especially when eating well-balanced diets con- 

 taining whole- wheat breads. In fact, we find 

 the papers and magazines carrying advertise- 

 ments of the larger milling companies ad- 



vising us to eat bran in lieu of a ten-mile 

 walk and become healthy. If we can eat 

 wheat in the form of bran muffins and white 

 bread, why not eat whole-wheat breads oc- 

 casionally and save the miller the trouble and 

 expense of separating them for us? 



Regarding the nutritive value of the whole 

 grain compared to the patent flours, practically 

 all of our authorities in nutrition are agreed 

 that the higher extraction flours are best. A 

 government chemist of prominence wrote to 45 

 nutrition experts in the United States asking 

 several questions, among which were the fol- 

 lowing : 



1. " From your experience, is white bread a 

 contributory cause of constipation? " The per- 

 centage of experts answering in the affirmative 

 were 48.5, answering " no " 32.5 per cent., and 

 the remainder were in doubt. 



2. " Can whole-wheat or graham bread be 

 considered helpful in constipation ? " Here 

 the aflirmative answers represented 86.5 per 

 cent, of the total number. 



3. " Can long continued use of the whole- 

 wheat or graham bread produce injurious re- 

 sults ? " Seventy-five per cent, answered " no " 

 to this question, while 5.8 per cent, of the 

 writers were of the opinion that harmful ef- 

 fects could be expected. The others were in 

 doubt. 



4. " From the single standpoint of nutrition, 

 which is preferable for general consiunption 

 by the people of the United States, white, 

 whole-wheat or graham bread ? " 65 per cent, 

 expressed themselves in favor of whole wheat 

 or graham, 10.8 per cent, being in favor of 

 white bread and 16.2 per cent, had no prefer- 

 ence. 



5. " From the single standpoint of the la.xa- 

 tive effect, which is preferable for general 

 consumption by the people of the United 

 States, white, whole-wheat or graham bread?" 

 Here 86.5 per cent, of the authorities were in 

 favor of the higher extraction flours. 



6. '■ Considered both from the standpoint 

 of nutrition and the standpoint of laxative 

 effect, which is preferable for general con- 

 sumption by the people of the United States, 

 white, whole-wheat or graham bread?" Here 



