The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-03-23


Occupied the Attention OF the Worlds
Best seientlsto for Years,
A Mlddletown, Conn. dispatch to the
New York Advertiser says: Not many
men would like to be shut up for whole
week. shit up more closely than are
prisoners who break the laws. These
see the face OF their TALLER. II no other,
and hear his voice, the sound of jingling
keys and the usual noises that echo and
re-eeho through the corridors OF
prison. But o. F. Tower. A. NJ. Phi. D..
has since last Monday heard no direct
sound save such as he has made him
self. and seen no face except through
small window covered with three thick
nesses OF glass. He Is a prisoner In the
interests OF science. cooped up In a
Theoretically sealed box in large room
in the basement OF Orange Judd Han
Wesleyan University, in Middletown..
Conn. He has Just ls2 cubic feet OF
room, the inside Of the boy being by =
by 64 feet. II Is copper lined and built
on the plan OF a butchers ice box. The
box, with its fittings OF scientific appa-
ratus, Is called calorimeter, ana 10 ii-
tended to test tho nutrltlve and caloric
properties OF foods.
Research upon nutrition" said Pro-
lessor W. o. Atwater to reporter for
the Morning Advertiser to-day, has
reached the point where the study OF
the application OF the laws OF the con-
servation OF matter and OF energy IN
the living organism is essential. That
Is to say, we must be able to determine
a.. -. ~
body. and this balance must be ex-
pressed in terms both Of matter and OF
energy. This Is what we are endeavor-
inH 20 do by means OF DR.. Tower, who
has been kind enough to consent to be
experimental upon"
Rather Like II.
The reporter was standing just OUT
side OF the box. making pantomimIc
gestures OF shaking hands with the doc
tor and getting very satisfactory re-
suits. There Is q telephone which COM
munIcates with the doctor. and he
pointed to that. The reporter took up
the annunclator, and after announcing
himself asked:
"Oh, It's all right. only rather
cramped. Do communicate with the
readers OF the Morning Advertiser now?
Yes. Well, Just say that get enough
TO eat, plenty OF sleep, lots OF time to
read, and hours upon hours for medita-
ton. Exercise2 oh. can jump about
a good deal when fold up my cot. do
not suffer at all. but / would like TO hear
the direct sound OF q human voice other
than my own. eat well and sleep well
and am all right. Good-by."
He Is given about nifty lItres OF air
minute, or about 100 cubic feet per hour.
The air Is kept circulating through the
caIorimeter constantly. and II Is ana
lyzed as It comes out. AS It goes In
chemically pure, whatever II contains OF
animal matter and calOric when II
comes out represents heat, and the eX-
udations OF the body, by respiration.
All oxidation and eXcretlon are careful-
~ weighed, and all heat carefully meas
ured.
HIS food is weighed and It's caloric
properties measured before II Is given
10 him. That Is, the whole Is weighed
and a sample OF each Is burned to nscer-
tain It's heat value. The heat value
represents the energy stored In the food,
lust rs the coal put into the boiler OF q
steam engine represents the quantity OF
heat which win result from It's con-
sumption. And the difference between
the heat that actually exists In the coal
and that which Is given OF by the boiler
represents the amount OF energy eS-
pended In driving the engine.
Measure of Energy.
So with food and the human body.
The difference between the heat given
on by the body and that which actually
exists In the food represents the energy
expended In walking or working. And
this Is what the eXperimenters are after,
viz: To ascertain what food will, with
the least waste. shown by the excre-
lions, keep the body In sufficient heat
and give the consumer the greatest
amount Of fuel for energy.
80 far apparatus has not been per-
fected for measuring the energy ex-
pended" said Professor Z. b. Rosa, who
is associated with Professor Atwater In
the work Of the experiment, but have
a machine now In process OF construc-
ton which win do this. Our expert
ments have progressed for about three
years and Will extend over several
years more before all the foods which
We wish to test VIII be tried"
Now" said Professor Atwater, later.
'of the latent energy stored in food,
part lie used by the body to supply heat,
part Ia consumed in muscular action.
and, perhaps, part by mental action.
This latter Is q much disputed subject,
which we hope to clear up. II is held by
some that mental action consumes none
! OF the energy contained In food, while
by others the opposite 10 asserted. II
we get the amount OF energy expended
By the body in calorlc, in excretions and
In muscular exercise, the difference be-
tween the sum Of these and the latent
energy absolutely contained in the food
Will represent the energy expanded in
mental exercise.
A Great Purpose.
scientifically. this is the ultimate OBJ
ject OF the experiment. But there Is nm
other object which viii be OF more prac-
teal use. There are thousands OF faml-
lies who spend from 80 TO 60 per cent Of
their incomes In food alone. II we cHn
determine what kind OF food affords the
most nutriment with the least waste.
and at the lowest cost. tho whole OF hui
manity will be benefited.
But please do not make II seem as
though we thought we were doing somn-
thing great We do not think so, But
we do believe that we arr making pros
greas along line that win be Of great
scientific value, and will result IN per-
nanent good TO all the world. Further
on experiments Will be made to deRnitc-
ly settle the mOoted question whether or
not there are nutrltlve food properties
In alcohol"
The menus Of the meals served to DR.,
Tower are as follows: