The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-04
Albunnen, The Basis
Of Animal Life, al
Very Little Cost.
The New Food Is Made Out Of Coal Tar,
but Clever Cooks VIII Be Able to Trans
form It Into All Sorts Of
PdldtdblG Dishes,

ence has, as a matter OF fact, surpass-
ed nature at one point-the making of
bitter almond OIL The artificial is
concededly better than the natural-it
has no poison (prussic acid) in it.
Artificial sugar is an actuality-not
saccharine but genuine sugar. This
responds to every test, and no differ
ence in taste can be detected. Science
makes artificial alcohol as we'll, and
excellent alcohol Neither of these pro-
ducts is yet a commercial success,
though there Is every reason to believe
that both soon will be.
While there are many eminent sci
entists who agree with DR.. Lillienfeld
and firmly believe that he has pro-
duced artificial albumen, there are
others equally eminent who object.
They say that he is only step nearer
the actual result.
One of these DIRECTORS is the famous
DR.. Pickering Of Kings College, Lon
DON He is a well-known writer on
physiological subjects and maintains
that the substance that Lillienfeld has
succeeded in making is not albumen,
the manufacture of which is still a
secret to be wrested from science, ana
that he has advanced several stages
nearer the production of the artificial
proteid which is to revolutionize the
food supply of the world.
fair that DR.. Pickering should be given
an opportunity of proving his claim
not only to have anticipated the
vaunted discovery Of the VienneSe
chemist, but also to have left 1t be-
hind in his advance toward the arti-
fetal production of that mysterious
substance which forms the basis of all
living matter.
DR.. Pickering, when speaking of the
matter before a body of learned men
"a short time ago, said: Some six
years ago, while pursuing my work as
a Psychologist, 1 happened accidentally
on a short communication by Professor
E. Grimaux, the distinguished Partisan
savant, which had escaped the eyes of
most investigators. 1t was published,
1 remember, in the year 1889, and it de-
scribed how the French scientist had
built up artificial substances which
gave some of the tests that had hith-
erto been considered essentials of albu-
men.
working on the lines suggested by
Professor Grimaux, l discovered six
other substances, still more like albu-
men. and these results were published
in pamphlet form in 1895, and laid in
full detail before the Royal Society on
December 10, 1896, as well as before
the Academy of Sciences in Paris. My
discoveries created some sensation at
the time in scientific circles. But, al
though my substances gave all the
tests of albumen, they were not the
real thing. One of these six sub
stances was perhaps more important
than the others. 1t had the peculiar
ity that when digested it gave products
that behaved in every respect like real
peptone, which is the substance formed
by digesting natural albumen.
Now Lillienfeld's substance. which 1
have reproduced, gives some of the
tests of real peptone, but not all. His
discovery is no more albufnen than
mine; it is, in fact, one stage farther
from it than the substance discovered
three years ago by myself. Lillien-
field does not seem to have noted that
peptone, which is perhaps the right
name for his product, is only the halt
way house to albumen. I have gone
one step nearer producing a pure pro-
ted. Ny substance only differs from
albumen in being less heavy and less
susceptible to polarised light. 1t even
possesses the deadly characteristic of