ICE CREAM. 
By Harvey W. Wiley, M. D., Ph. D. 
Chief of Bureau of Chemistry, Department of Agriculture. 
The use of artificially frozen dishes as an article of diet is not of 
very ancient origin. It is not the purpose of this paper to discuss 
the physiological and dietetic effects of introducing ice-cold foods into 
the stomach. There are grave objections to the practice which will 
occur to every physiologist and hygienist. Briefly I may state that 
the process of digestion in the stomach depends upon the free excre- 
tion of the peptic ferments by the glands of the inner coats of the 
stomach. The introduction of large quantities of ice-cold material 
can not fail to contract the orifices of these glands and check their 
excretory activity. 
Aside from this, however, the question of ice cream is' one of grave 
importance in connection with the dairy supplies of the country, 
and particularly so because under the name of ice cream are found 
upon the markets products of the widest variation in composition, 
varying from the true ice cream to the true frozen pudding. 
It is necessary, therefore, in the discussion of the matter, if possi- 
ble, to ascertain first, what ice cream is or should be, and second, to 
study the materials from which it is made with a view to determining 
their sanitary character, and finally to determine the composition of 
the article itself as it is offered to the market. Incidentally there- 
fore the dairy which furnishes the milk and the milk which furnishes 
the cream are subjects of inquiry. These two subjects, however, have 
been carefully gone over in other papers of this series and hence any 
reference to them will be merely of an incidental character as illus- 
trating some point in connection with the particular subject at hand. 
The term “ ice cream ” is used in this country to cover a large 
variety of products, which in Europe are known under the general 
term of “ ices.” The Neapolitan ices are said to be a type of the 
European dishes. This type of ices is found in most of the cities of 
Europe, served often in very attractive packages with various adorn- 
ments or used directly without molding upon the table. The art of 
representing different kinds of fruits and flowers, animals, and other 
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