258 



Appendices to Fourth Annual Report 



The substances in meat whicli give rise to the sensations of flavour and 

 sapidity are really most important from a physiological point of view, 

 for they excite powerfully the secretion of the digestive juices, and this 

 greatly aids the process of digestion. Hence, the value of mixing even 

 highly nutritious food with sapid articles. Every one is familiar with 

 the fact that tasteless articles very soon pall on one's palate, and how 

 nauseating they become after a time. 



Glae^ (jtlatin, and isim/lass in one or other of their numerous forms 

 are substances which can be made in large amount from the refuse of fish 

 after removal of the flesh. The swim-bladder w^hen boiled yields a 

 specially fine form of isinglass, while coarser forms of glue or cement are 

 obtainable from the bones. A cement of great adhesiveness is made from 

 the skin. Thus a whole series of commercial products of the glue order 

 are obtainable from the refuse of fish, glues suitable for the carpenter, 

 bookbinder, or other trades, while fine isinglass for the nutrition of 

 invalids and for dietetic purposes is also obtained. If the gelatinous 

 product be high coloured, it can easily be decolourised by suitable means. 

 After the extraction of the glue or gelatin from the bones, the latter 

 remain as a beautiful white bleached and quite friable mass, and easily 

 broken residue. This forms excellent bone-earth for manure. 



As is familiar to most people an oil of high medicinal value is obtained 

 from the liver of the cod and other fish. For a long time in the north of 

 Scotland the oil of the liver of the skate has also been used for medicinal 

 purposes. The livers (cod, skate) are carefully selected, washed and 

 cleaned, and the gall-bladder removed. They are then placed in a copper 

 vessel with a double jacket and heated by steam. The oil soon flows out 

 from the liver and collects on the surface where it is skimmed ofi. An 

 improved method is to allow the oil to percolate to the bottom of the 

 vessel, where it is drawn ofi' at once without being subjected to over- 

 heating or prolonged heating. After filtrating under high pressure much 

 of the stearin is removed. Numerous other marine animals yield similar 

 oils which are not necessarily used for medicinal purposes. Thus a 

 very valuable lubricating oil is obtained from the shark. 



The refuse liver after the oil is extracted, may be either burned to get 

 out more oil — train oil — when the residue is used as manure, or it may be 

 compressed to get out the last traces of oil, the compressed residue when 

 mixed with flour forming a suitable food for dogs. 



It may seem strange, considering the important part played by vegetables 

 in every duly adjusted dietary, that attention was not directed sooner to 

 the feasability of preparing extracts of vegetables as dietetic products, 

 more especially as ' extracts ' have long played an important part in 

 pharmacy. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that Mr Sahlstrom hit 

 upon the idea of combining with the Normal Company's preparations 

 that of vegetable extracts. 



The recent researches of Vines and Martin in this country, and other 

 observers abroad, have shown that there is a close analogy between the 

 animal and vegetable proteids, while many of the extractives so-called are 

 common to both kingdoms. 



An extract of cabbage, or carrot, or onion retains more or less of the 

 flavour and taste, but if there be a due mixture of vegetables, an extract 

 is obtained which imparts to soup an exceedingly agreeable flavour. Such 

 an extract may be added to any soup prepared solely from animal tissues, 

 so that a pleasant flavour results from the addition of a small quantity of 

 a vegetable extract. 



Besides what may be called the classical methods of fish-preservation, 

 such as salting, smoking, and other forms of curing, there are other 



