668 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. V. No. 15 
No experimental data on the digestibility of veal were found in the 
writings of Bauer (1885) and Pavy (1881), referred to by Thompson; 
there was nothing more than the statement that veal was not easily 
digested. 
Although the above-mentioned work of Jessen (1883) was apparently 
done as accurately as the technic of that day permitted, it was far from 
conclusive, partly because the experiments were not numerous enough 
and partly because biochemical methods for accurately measuring the 
speed of digestion from one stage to another had not been developed. 
In fact, the fundamental data regarding the chemical nature of the diges¬ 
tive process and of the various digestion products of proteins were just 
then being studied. In the same volume with Jessen’s work is one of 
the early works of Kiihne and Chittenden (1883), describing the then 
little-known bodies resulting from the digestion of proteins. 
Undoubtedly, the alleged indigestibility of veal was a belief per¬ 
petuated by repeated quotation either of experiments too old to be 
conclusive or of opinions expressed elsewhere. 
WORK OF PREVIOUS INVESTIGATORS 
With the exception of the works of Fish (1911; 1912; 1914), very 
little direct experimental work was found, although a careful search of 
the literature was made. An excellent discussion of the subject by 
Fish and other workers has been published by the American Veterinary 
Medical Association (1912). In his earlier work Fish obtained data on 
the amount of moisture in immature veal and in beef, also on the freezing 
point of the juice from the tissues and on the specific gravity of such 
juice. He conducted dietetic experiments in which 7 families of 20 
persons of various ages received immature veal as part of their diet. 
The following extracts are from his reports: 
All partook of the veal and appeared to relish it. None of the families reported 
any disturbance of any of the bodily functions; the health was apparently normal 
and each family was ready to receive a portion whenever another carcass was avail¬ 
able. (1911, p. 139.) 
The claim that the flesh of very young animals has a laxative effect upon human 
beings (Walley) has not been verified in the present experiments. (1912, p. 148.) 
In a recent work Fish found that beef and immature veal digested 
with equal speed in pepsin-hydrochloric acid (1913, p. 64). This last 
observation is in accord with that of Langworthy and Holmes (unpub¬ 
lished), who found that both immature veal and market veal, when fed 
to men as part of their diet, have practically the same coefficient of 
digestibility as beef—i. e., 93 per cent. 
Sparapani (1914) studied the toxicity, or the alleged toxicity, of fetal 
flesh. From his results he concluded that bovine fetal serum was less 
toxic than adult serum—i. e., more fetal serum was required to kill a 
rabbit than adult serum when injected intravenously. 
