New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-04
A SUBSTITUTE FOR COFFEE.
ARMY OFFICERS CONSIDERING THE
ADOPTION OF A NEW MARCH
ING RATION.
EXTENSIVE INVESTMENTS IN THE CULTIVATION
AND IMPORTATION OF THE MATERIAL
FOR THE NEW BEvERAGE-How
IT COMPARES WITH TEA.

There ,s considerable talk In Army circles.
espccially in the West about the possibility of
the use OF kola as ration for soldiers captain
Charles f. Woodruff. Assistant Surgeon Oh the
United States Army of Port Sheridan, ILL.,, started
the ball rolling in this country by insttuing a
series Of experiments similar TO these piahhed ana
executed in the French Army.
The impression has prevailed-erroneously as yet
II appears-that koa has been officially adopted
by the French Government as marching ration
From information gathered at Army headquarters,
at Governors Island, 1t can be stated positively
that this is not the case. although no DOUBT eX-
tensve experiments have been made by surgeons
and officers of the French Army with a view to
ascerta!ning as definitely possible the scope Of
the new food or stimuIant. as the case may be.
The subject gains importance from the iact 'ha'
the War Department has appointed boards OF officers
for the purpose OF considering and recommending
proper marching ration for the use Of troops
called out in sudden emergencies. to be carried
on the person of the soldier One board met In
this city last Tuesday. and reconvened to meet
again August g. During this interval carefu.
canvass has been made to establish exactly what
the present marching ration Of each foreign gov
eminent IT, to furnish basis for the prelimi-
nary consideration of the subject The detaii OF
the board as appointed by General Miles is as
follows: Colonel John W Barriger. assistant COM
,nissary-general OF subsistence; Major John van
r. Hoff surgeon: Major Ezra p. Ewers, 9th In
fantrv. Captain Frederick II. T.. Ebstein, 2lst In
fantry; Captain James Torrance. 18th Infantry.
number Of infantry soldiers have received
furlough for the purpose Of testing the value OF
each constituent OF tho army rations 10 be recon-
mended by each department. The board IS an uh-
usually strong and viii investigate the SUD-
iect thoroughly and exercise the greatest possible
care in coming TO any conclusion. AS eacn de-
partnent commander appoints his own board, these
experiments will be carried on In all parts OF
the United States and comparison Of the differ
on, recommendations cannot fail TO be OF Interest
In the course Of a pleasant chat on the SUBJECT
Major Ioff said: The therapeutic uses OF kola are
SO little known yet that II Is Impossible TOT any
conservative physician to express any OPINION except
in the most hypothetical TO the profession Noia
"a classified with those other household s;imulants
cocoa coffee and tea. | know DR. Woodruff ana ne
IS an excellent surgeon and officer In the best pos
slble standing but. ~ course he would be the hrst
To admit that his experiments In the use or Kola are
experiments. I, VIII take time. and 1t always
does take time t. determine the practcai Va'ue VI
any new therapeutic agent"
..Would YOU care 70 state what the possible value
OF kola is as a marching ration
THAT question Is easily answered. Coffee is al
ready a marching ration in many II not all. Of the
European armies
rs kola better than Coffee
This. as have already said. remains to be
proved A marching or emergency ration Is 1000
sut,i,ien, 20 keep the lier alive four days when
tho army IS cut Of from the base Of supplies ms
ration is carried the soldiers back. Ike so mueh
ammunition. and IS never touched except when the
emergency. as stated. arrives 1t is important.
therefore, that the food carried should be
nourishirr portable and adapted. as far as possible
TO the needs OF ,.e average soldier on the march.
But Is not coffee A luxury?
We'll" said the doctor with a smile. perhaps It
IT, but II has It's therapeutic value II keeps the SOL
der IN good humor and this always makes him
better fighter Besides. you must remember. the
important quality IL that the coffee Grinker must
boil his water in order to drink his coffee. and in
forced marches where the water Is bad II Is better
for men to drink coffee and water necessarily
boiled and therefore from the risk Of infection
than It Is to drink water straight
considering koa from the point OF view OF its
chemical constituents. 1t certainly possesses some
remarkable characteristics. According to Dr. Du-
iardin- Beaumez. koia contains more caffeine than
either tea or coffee. bat those who are more tami-
Tar with kola than assert that the effect or kola
is not due much 10 the caffeine as 10 other con-
sutucnts Cocoa has over 30 per cent fat. whereas
kola has less than per cent fat, and contains over
30 per cent OF starch in such form as to be easily
converted In the stomach into glucose, and there
fore appears to readily digestible. Again, kola
contains very little tannin. Tannn. which In green
tea II per cent is the cause OF all the evils
which attend excessive tea-drinking. Dr. Woodruff
states the active principle Of kola 70 be kolanine
which acta as a tonic to the muscles OF the body
He claims that whereas other stimuiants only
temporarily brace up the muscles. koia gives dura
tlcn 10 this tonic effect. and moreover is unat-
tended by any dcleterous habi, OF after effect"
Irpon being informed that kola being cuti-
waited on a large scale and that 1t TO be sod 10
the grocers In competition with cocoa. tea ana
coffee DIR HoT said: III this is true. In view OF
the claims OF kola II the analysis can be depended
upon II Is certainly worthy OF a thorough test in
comparison with the class Of food products to which,
according to the present medical standpoint. 1t
properly belongs
At the mandatory OF Johnson & Johnson. at
New-Rrunswlck. y. j.. some interesting informa-
ton obtained regarding kola
.There can be no doubt" said Mr.. Kilmer.
the chemist Of the company that the claims
OF kola as beverage are entitled to the
most serious consideration. In the first place. you
must remember that before America was discovered
by Columbus there WAS large trade in kola be-
tween Portugal and the African Coast. Indeed. It
was a lucrative monopoly among the Portuguese
from las to liS6. There is mention OF the kola
nut as early as the first ha,f OF the twelfth cen
fury Coming down II the present time trade via
the Gambia between 1919 and 1855 amounted to over
three million pounds. and other regions show even
larger transactions Il has been my privilege to
have studied the use OF kola in the West Indies
der the most favorable conditions the kola nut hav
ing been introduced by Guinea slave trader. and
named Bicha. Bazzai. in the seventeenth CEN
fury: long enough change the name to Bissy.
"0f course II is Impossible TO put ones faith In
AL the stories OF magical properties of koa as re-
lated BY the natives. 1t undoubtedly Is most
valuable stimu.ant In muscular work. Ii prevents
exclamation and fatigue, and lessons persplraton.
faintness hunger and thirst. Its effect on the
muscles is almost immediate. Az TO there being no
bad after effect | can speak positively
How so?"
well | think can illustrate my position In this
matter In way which VIII commend Itself TO the
most rd-headed business All through the
West Indies the chewer and the koa chewer
work side by side. You thus compare the ef
feet Now the kola chewer is invariably In good
health magnincenty developed capable In even
this hot climate OF grea. exerton and the hardest
kind OF labor. while the coca chewer presents all
the characteristics OF the cocaine iend In this