The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-27
SCIENTIFIC HASH.
UNCLE SAM WILL OPEN 4
 BOARDING HOUSE

In Washington City-Novei Series of Food Tes,s-Tweive Men win Eat Everything That Is Set Before Them
 and Ask No Questions, But Keep n
 Diary-Some of Them to Eat Doc - f0red Food.
 By far the best advertised boarding house in the United States is that
 which Dr. H. w. Wiley, chief of the di- vision of chemistry of the department
 of agriculture, will open in the fall un-
 der authority of an act of congress, for
 the purpose of testing the effect of va
 rious preservatives, coloring substances
 and othe food mixture upon persons in
 health. The proposal has been treated
 tlippantly by so many of the para
 graphers as to convey an altogether
 wrong idea of its seriousness and im- portance. Dr. Wiley. who has just re-
 turned from Europe. gives your corre-
 spondent an interesting account of the progress of his preparations
 Obviously the boarders are the most important element in boarding house
 Especially is it so of this one. Ac- cordingly, tramps, hobos, cranks, and all who are seeking free board for the boards own sake, have been notified that their services are not desired. Dr. Wiley will procure the most intelligent persons that he can find for his tables, two in number and accommodating about six persons each. Young men in scientific bureaus of the agricultural department will be enlisted first and after them the resident college students of the city. These tables will be kept up many months, and perhaps years.
 In theory, the Wiley plan is not un- like the great basin at the navy yard in which models of vessels are tested with most minute and unfailing accu- Tacy to ascertain the exact shape which utilizes to the best advantage the DOW CT that may be applied at various rates of speed and in different kinds of work. Private ship builders now send their models to Washington for this test, and sometimes by topping off a few inches in one place and adding few in an- other a great many horse power on the engines can be saved. This is prac- tical age and practical tests seem to be the thing. Why not try a model table for the settlement of disputed food questions?
 Ever since civilizatino advanced so that people had some choice as to what they should eat the controversy has been active over the healthfulness of various articles of everyday diet. It has been said that excellent medical authority could be found for excluding every article on the dinner table. as a sure pathway to the grave. Especial ly acrimonious becomes the contro- versy when, beyond the domain of na- tural products, one begins to deal with the devices of the chemical laboratory for the preservation of food and it's "adornment." Dr. Wiley purposes to find out the relative harmfulness of various articles as a part of the move- ment towards pure-food legislation. Borax has become an international question. The German government has professed to believe that our meats treated with it are harmful, although it's own best medical authorities take the opposite view. pr. Wiley has al- ways thought that the small quantity of boric acid used in curing meat was not harmful; in fact, decidedly less so | than would be the quantity of salt ne- cessary to take it's place 'I believe this" said Dr. Wiley. II do not know i it. The object of this table is to test ! such a belief in the most practical l way"
 The necessity of having men whose observations would be intelligent and | whose power to express with some &C., ! curacy their feelings and sensations so | that these could be understood, is most | manifest. Each boarder will keep liary and record all sorts of facts con- oerning himself He will have to give lis word of honor that he will eat | nothing anywhere else, and that he will eat what is set before him, in &C., ,ordance with the scriptural iniunc- 1 ion, asking no questions for con- sciences sake. But only small part If the information will come from the 'ecords of the men themselves. By levices fully understood in the medical l profession. it is possible to tell some hing of the thoroughness with which ligestion has taken place, and to what
 '