6: 
August 2, 1918] 
cent. flour, 94.5 per cent. The loss of energy with 
the second bread was greater (5.5 per cent.) than 
with the first (3.9 per cent.). The intestinal secre- 
tions were considered to contribute largely to this. 
The feces with the 90 per cent. bread were more 
bulky, and the coarser particles of this bread pro- 
duced a greater stimulation of the secretion of the 
intestine. The increase in the bulk of the evacua- 
tion is not an evil and in the case of many is even 
an advantage. As to the nitrogenous constituents, 
the average digestibility was 89.4 per cent. in bread 
made from flour extracted to 80 per cent., and 
87.3 per cent. in that extracted to 90 per cent. In 
most of the cases there was a slight gain in body 
weight with both breads. Thus a greater propor- 
tion of the energy of the grains is available for hu- 
man consumption when flour is milled at the 90 
per cent. scale than on the 80 per cent. scale. The 
increase would extend the cereal supply of energy 
for the country for more than a month. Against 
this is to be set the loss of protein in the offal as 
food for pigs. Another set of experiments were 
made with bread made from flour consisting four 
fifths of wheat extracted at 80 per cent., and one 
fifth of maize. At first the flavor of the maize was 
commented on, and there was in some cases dis- 
turbance of digestion, attended sometimes with 
diarrhea, and more often with constipation; but 
these symptoms passed off. The general conclu- 
sion is that bread made with the addition of maize 
flour was as digestible as bread made without it, 
and it was well digested by children. The addition 
of maize made practically no difference in the 
utilization of energy and nitrogen. Observations 
were made at a canteen on the dietetic effect? and 
on the palatability of bread made from flour con- 
taining four fifths of wheat extracted to 90 per 
cent., and one fifth of other permitted cereals (10 
per cent. barley, made up to 20 per cent. with 
maize and rice, or rice alone). It was found to be 
palatable and never to cause indigestion. 
These conclusions seem to strongly support 
my former statements that the “ attack on the 
higher extraction flours is unmerited” and 
“that higher extraction flours are not normally 
harmful” and also when these flours are used 
more generally over the country “more grain 
will be released for the allied armies.” 
R. Apams DutcHer 
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY AND THE WAR 
Tue Italian mathematician G. Vivanti 
opened the preface of his book entitled “ Equa- 
SCIENCE 117 
zioni Integrali Lineari,” 1916, with the fellow- 
ing words: 
While our sons fight valorously to liberate Eu- 
rope from the Teutonic yoke it devolves on us, 
whose age and strength do not permit to offer 
arms to our country, to work for its scientific 
emancipation. A national science is an absurdity 
and he would be foolish who would refuse a scien- 
tifie truth because it arose from beyond the Alps 
or the sea; but the work of scientific exposition 
and publication can be and ought to be national. 
Who does not recognize a German treatise by its 
minute and sometimes wearisome care of particu- 
lars, an English by its good-natured and discursive 
tone, a French by its form which is sometimes a 
little vague but always suggestive and elegant? 
These words of an Italian scholar may be of 
especial interest at this time when so many of 
us are considering the question of how to 
render the most effective service to our coun- 
try. It is interesting to note that Vivanti 
emphasized scientific exposition and publica- 
tion as a means towards securing scientific 
emancipation. While scientific investigation 
should always occupy the foremost place in a 
permanent scientific program, it must be ad- 
mitted that there is danger in fixing our at- 
tention too completely on the most important 
element in our scientific progress. Our stu- 
dents should not have to feel that the great 
majority of the best expository works relating 
to their subject are to be found only in the 
language of a people of low ideals imbued with 
a morbid desire to dominate the world at any 
cost. 
From a quotation found on page 9 of the 
May, 1918, Bulletin of the American Associa- 
tion of University Professors, it appears that 
the German professors are still very active 
in the production of scholarly works, while 
those of England and France are devoting 
themselves much more completely to direct 
service connected with the war. This direct 
service is probably a natural concomitant of 
the high ideals which prevail in these coun- 
tries, but it is evident that it points to the 
possibility “ of winning the war in a military 
sense, only to find ourselves dominated by 
German knowledge and German science!” 
The preparation of scholarly works of the 
