OLEOMARGARINE 285 



uct which has its place on the market. The lower grades 

 are used in place of cooking butter and the higher grades 

 (composed partly of butter) as a substitute for table butter. 



There is some difference of opinion among authorities 

 as to the healthfulness of oleomargarine as compared 

 with butter. We quote two authorities as follows: 



In record No. 7 from United States Department of Agri- 

 culture H. Lubrig discusses the relative digestibihty of 

 oleomargarine and natural butter. The author reviews 

 the literature on the subject and reports results of four 

 experiments on the digestibility of oleomargarine and 

 butter, made with a healthy man 29 years old and weigh- 

 ing 175 pounds. Holstein butter and three sorts or grades 

 of oleomargarine were used, named according to their 

 qualities — Nos. i, 2 and 3. The tests were similar, the 

 fat in each case forming part of a mixed diet of meat, 

 bread, vegetables, etc. In the author's opinion the true 

 undigested fat was not oleomargarine or butter fat, and 

 accordingly he believes it is safe to conclude that butter 

 and oleomargarine are completely digested. From a 

 physiological standpoint the two fats are thought to be 

 completely digestible and of equal value. 



On the other hand H. W. Wiley, former chief chemist 

 of the Department of Agriculture at Washington, who 

 testified before the House Agricultural Committee when 

 the Grout bill was being considered, said: " This is exactly 

 what I said in my testimony before the senate committee. 

 They asked me if I thought oleomargarine was as digestible 

 as butter. I do not think it is. I do not think it digests 

 so well as butter, because it contains more of the higher 

 series of fatty acids, and practically none of the lower 

 acids which are more easily decomposed imder the influence 

 of ferments. All digestion is fermentation." 



