SECTIONS OF FOODS AND TEXTILES. 117 



SECTION %& FOODS. 



In this section it is intended to show specimens of foods that may 

 possess special interest, especially such as are used by primitive peo- 

 ples and in foreign lands. A more important feature, however, will be 

 to afford information concerning the nutritive value of various articles 

 of food in daily use, and to aid in the dissemination of knowledge upon 

 the important subject of nutrition. The relation between the cost of an 

 article of food and its value for nutritive purposes is an important con- 

 sideration, especially for the poorer classes of laboring people. It has 

 long been a matter of pride with us that the laboring classes in the 

 United States live far better than those doing the same work in foreign 

 countries. But they are enabled to do so because they receive higher 

 wages and it seems not improbable that the growing competition be- 

 tween nations will require greater economy in labor here, and it will 

 then be necessary for the poorer classes to exercise more economy in 

 living. It becomes, therefore, very desirable to learn not only what 

 are the most nutritive foods, but, a matter of greater practical impor- 

 tance, what are the cheapest and best foods to buy. Also, what are the 

 best combinations of food, and how these should be prepared. Some of 

 these questions have been carefully studied by Prof. W. O. Atwater, 

 and the results of many analyses made by him are now available for 

 use in this section of the Museum. As a matter of fact, there is no 

 doubt our laboring classes are living extravagantly and that by in- 

 telligent direction, involving instruction in the art of cooking as well 

 as in the selection of proper food, their expenses can be considerably 

 reduced without detriment to the excellence of the food provided. 



The collections in this section are not yet sufficiently advanced to 

 demonstrate these purposes in view. It will be the work of consider- 

 able time, but a beginning has been made in two cases now on exhibi- 

 tion. The first of these illustrates the chemical composition of the 

 human body, showing on one side the elements found in the body, in 

 their relative proportions ; on the other side the principal compounds. 

 In the second case are shown specimens illustrating the daily income 

 and expenditure of the body, and the quantity of various constituents 

 of food required to supply the waste. The constituents of a ration for 

 one day are shown and the transformations they undergo in the body 

 are described. The composition of a loaf of bread is also illustrated by 

 specimens. These examples will indicate the practical and instructive 

 tendencies of the exhibits in this section. 



A collection of foods used by the Indians of North America is now 

 arranged, including all the specimens now on hand, and occupies two 

 full cases. It is not complete and can not be made so until a competent 

 and experienced collector, like Dr. Edward Palmer, who is better ac- 

 quainted with this subject than any other person, is commissioned to 

 travel among the Indians and supply the deficiencies. It is very desir- 

 able that this should be done as soon as possible. 



