4 BULLETIN 103, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



was 5.23 grams ' (80.714 grains) per man per day. Following these 

 experiments four men took 1 gram (15.433 grains) of aluminum a day 

 each for several days, 2 and then their blood was tested to detect any 

 aluminum that might be present in it. No aluminum was found in 

 the blood. As a further indirect test to determine whether aluminum 

 was resorbed, one man took for five days enough aluminum hydroxide 

 to furnish 0.660 gram (10.186 grains) of aluminum a day and another 

 took enough to give 0.540 gram (8.334 grains) a day for five days. 

 The men were fed a diet of low and known phosphorus content and 

 the excrementa analyzed for phosphorus, in order to detect, if pos- 

 sible, signs of abstraction of this element from the tissues by resorbed 

 aluminum. This test failed to demonstrate resorption of aluminum. 



CONCLUSIONS OF INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATORS. 



Dr. Chittenden concludes from his experiments that small quan- 

 tities of aluminum compounds, and even comparatively large 

 quantities, when taken daily with the food, have no effect upon the 

 general health and nutrition of the body. "In other words," as he 

 sums up his conclusions, "aluminum compounds when used in foods — 

 as in bread — in such quantities as were employed in our experi- 

 ments do not affect injuriously the nutritive value of such foods or 

 render them injurious to health, so far as any evidence obtained in 

 our experimental work indicates." 



Dr. Long, in concluding his report, calls attention to the fact that 

 alum is rather generally used in the manufacture of cucumber pickles. 

 This is an old practice which had its origin in the household rather 

 than in the factory and is still common in the household. The harden- 

 ing effect of the alum is believed to help in keeping the pickles. In 

 the factor}^ the cucumbers are first soaked for several weeks in strong 

 brine, then in fresh water overnight, this process being sometimes 

 repeated. Then the cucumbers are put into an alum liquor in which 

 the weight of alum used is about one-fourth of 1 per cent of the weight 

 of the cucumbers. The cucumbers and liquor are heated up to 120° 

 or 140° F., then cooled and allowed to stand for from 6 to 24 hours. 

 Then comes a bath hi fresh water and afterwards the final treat- 

 ment with vinegar. The vinegar takes out some of the alum from 

 the pickles, so that usually the alum left hi them amounts to less than 

 two-tenths of 1 per cent. 



Alum is also used hi the preparation of maraschino cherries, and 

 perhaps some other fruits. But the quantities of aluminum that 

 might be consumed either in pickles or hi the fruits referred to are so 

 small, compared with the quantities actually consumed in baking 

 powders, that the study of alum baking powders may be taken to cover 

 the entire field. 



1 About one-fifth ounce of Glauber's salt. (See footnote, p. 3.) 



- This cjrresponds to approximately 10 level teaspoonfuls of alum baking powder. 



