Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-17
MINT FOOD.

There are about twenty European
preparations styled infant foods, begin
ming with that of Nestle, and at least
twice as many American, all Of which
profess to furnish complete nutrition
for the infant during the first few months
of its existence, while yet the conversion
of starch into dextrino and sugar is be-
yond the capacity of the unframed d.
gestive function. The examination of
these with microscope, assisted by such
simple tests as iodine, which turns
starch cells blue, and gluten (or album
inous) granules yellow. has engaged the
careful attention Of DR.. Ephraim Cutter,
of Cambridge, and mis- results will star
tie most mothers who have relied upon
the extravagant pretenses set forth in
the circulars of manufacturers. Eliza
McDonough, who preceded DR.. Cutter
in this field, has been in a measure dis
credited; but it appears that her asser-
tion-that the starch, SO far from being
transformed into dextrine, was not suff-
GENTLY altered to render the recognition
of its source difficult, whether from
wheat, rye, corn or barley-was strictly
true, and that these pretentious foods
are, without exception, nearly valueless
for dietetic purposes. All of them con-
sist of baked -four mainly, either alone
or mixed with sugar, milk or salts. In
some cases the baking has been very in
adequately performed, and the doctor
found one that consisted merely of wheat
and oats whose starch cells were proxi-
mately in their natural condition. The
general result of DIR. Cutters examina.
ton may be stated in brief terms as fol-
lows: There was scarcely a single one
of the so-called infant foods that con-
tanned quantity of gluten as large as
that contained in ordinary wheat -four.
That is to say, well-compounded wheat
gruei IS superior to any of them, partic-
ularly wileA boiled with little milk ;
and mothers are in error who place the
slightest dependence upon them. As
respects one very expensive article, pro-
essing to possess 27O parts in every
1000 of phosphate salts in connection
with gluten, DR.. Cutter was unable to
find any gluten at all. The thing was
nearly pure starch sold at an exorbitant
price as nerve and brain food, and q
great remedy for ricketts,. So all through
the list. Sometimes trace of gluten
was present; more frequently none at
all. In one case there were ninety parts
of starch to ten of gluten; hut this was
exceptional, and the majority were less
valuable, ounce for ounce, than ordinary
wheat -four. Considering the semi-phi-
anthropic pretensions which have been
put forth by the manufacturers of these
foods, some of them sustained by the
certificates Of eminent physicians, the
report of DIR. Cutter is one of the drear.
lest comments upon human nature that
has recently fallen under the notice oil
the journalist. But if the revelations he
has made of fraud and pretense on the
part of manufacturers in this field shall
serve to protect mothers from furthe,
betrayal, and to rescue infant life from
quack articles Of nutriment, his work,
though giving tremendous shock tc
our sensibilities and to our faith in med.
ical certificates, will not have been done
in vain.-NeW York Times.