The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-02
soME REsuLTs oF Foop EXPERIMENTS.


A recently published memoir of the National Acad-
envy Of Sciences entitled AN experimental inquiry re-
gardng the nutrve value OF alcohol" by Profs " O..
Atwater and f G. Benedict and published at the gov
eminent printing Office in Washington gives detailed
report OF experiments under Professor Atwaters drec-
ton Cor the last few years.
The experiments were made with by use Of
the AtwaeRosa respiration calorimeter. in the chem
zeal laboratory Of Wesleyan University They IN
dertaken in behalf Of the Committee Of Fifty for the
Investigation of the Liquor Problem Professor Atwater
being member the subcommittee en- the physolog-
zeal aspect together they probably the most
thorough investigation Of the sort ever made
The general plan experiments consists in find
ing diet CT ordinary food materials such Pc
atoes bread. milk etc sufficient less to meet
the demands Of the mans body, when he is at rest
when he is engaged in muscular work Arrangements
are made by which all OF the food and drink supplied
to the body likewise all the ezcetoy products given
off from the body measured and analysed and their
potential latent energy determined. Even the air
before after breathed analysed The energy
which is transformed by the body and given off in the
forms heat and external muscular work is also meas
ured. By striking the balance of income and cutgo Of
both matter and energy it is possible to learn with great
accuracy just how the body utizes the different
ias supplied it in food and drink
The results showed that: % extremely little of
the alcohol given off unconsued in the breath
otherwise; the alcohol ozidzed a. e. burned) in
foods 81 In the oxidation all of potential energy
Of the alcohol was transformed into heat
and muscular energy; in other words, the body
formed the energy Of the alcohol just did that of
sugar. starch fat 20 The alcohol did materially
increase the elimination of heat from the body (D
The alcohol served of heat for keeping the
body warm 90 The energy of the alcohol which made
part of the ration for muscular work was just
about economically the energy the fats
bohydrates which it replaced 60 The alcohol protected
body material from consumption did the sugar starch
and fat far as its store OF fat is concerned the
body held its with the alcohol ratons with the
corresponding ratons made up wholly of ordinary food
The experiments have shown therefore that when
the alcohol used with other materials in the
diet Of healthy men. it has performed CT the two
chief functions OF food that is served the body fuel
Alcohol contains no nitrogen and hence cannot serve
the other chief OF food namely, the building
repair Of body tissue
The final conclusion in this purely scientific memoir
insists that the usefulness or harInfuaess alcohol as
article of diet its influence upon the nervous system
and its general effect upon health and welfare not
tested by these experimnts.
In othr places. Professor Atwater has been at much
pains insist that neither these experiments nor the
results of other observations nor general experience war
rant the conclusion that alcohol is to be recommended
for general use lie considers that it is often extremely
useful in certain forms Of disease and fer aged people,
but he adds Tor people health and especially young
people it is an excellent thing to let alone"