INCEPTION OF THE WORK. 25 



INCEPTION OF THE WORK. 



Among the most important of the foods so far examined on which 

 the work is sufficiently advanced to warrant publication are chickens, 

 quail, milk, and eggs. The conditions under which the eggs were pur- 

 chased and stored are given under the appropriate caption on page 27. 

 The preliminary study on milk, conducted by M. E. Pennington, has 

 been reported in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, April, 1908, and 

 will not be reprinted in this report, save for the conclusions drawn 

 therefrom, which will be found in the summary on page 101. 



The chemical analysis of the eggs was made bj F. C. Cook and the 

 microscopic examination by B. J. Howard. The bacteriological ex- 

 amination of the eggs, quail, and chickens conducted at Washington 

 was made by G. W. Stiles, and the study of market cold-storage 

 chickens, covering chemical, bacteriological, and histological changes, 

 was conducted at Philadelphia by M. E. Pennington. 



In the tests made at Washington a large number of chickens of 

 as nearly as possible the same age and condition were secured in a 

 perfectly fresh state, slaughtered, and prepared for storage by the 

 removal of the feathers, and packed six in a box, as is the custom in 

 placing samples in storage. The fowls were placed in cold storage at 

 a temperature from 2° to 8° F. — that is, frozen solid — half being drawn 

 and half left in the undrawn state. A sufficient number of these 

 chickens were dressed, cooked, and subjected to the judgment of the 

 jury in regard to the quality and character of the flesh. Another lot, 

 representative in character, was selected for examination. 



A large number of quail in like manner were secured by special 

 arrangement with the North Carolina game warden, so that the birds 

 might be shipped directly to Washington on the date they were killed. 

 In this way the exact length of time which had elapsed since their 

 slaughter was known. These birds were treated in the same manner 

 as the chickens, having been tested and placed in cold storage, half 

 drawn and half undrawn. At stated intervals, usually of about three 

 months, samples of these storage products were withdrawn and sub- 

 jected to the same examination as has just been indicated. Fresh 

 chickens, as nearly of the same size and character as those in cold stor- 

 age as could be secured, were always prepared with these samples. 

 When these chickens were cooked and presented to the jury they were 

 numbered or indicated in some way so that no member of the jury 

 knew which lot was the fresh chickens, which the drawn chickens in 

 storage, and which the undrawn chickens in storage. Each individual 

 member of the jury was requested to determine for himself the char- 

 acter, odor, color, and taste, to enter the same in a notebook, and to 

 determine from the results of his notes and his experience which he 

 considered to be the best for eating purposes of the samples presented 

 to him. The members of the jury were not allowed to consult among 



