The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-31

digestibility and light character and
appetizing flavor oysters are common
~ recommended to the fastidious in
valid II has been said that the oyster
digests itself and this is probably true
when We consider that the edible part
consists almost exclusively of liver.
We have considered it Of interest to
place before our readers the results
OF an investigation undertaken in the
Lancet laboratory bearing mainly up
on the chemical composition of the
oyster, and we venture to think that
apart altogether from the point of view
OF the exquisite flavor and deHcacy of
the oyster. the results throw light up
on its nutritive value and bring for
ward some points of dietetic signif1-
canoe. The oysters examined belong
ed 10 the native" class throughout,
the results having no reference to the
big. deep-sea oyster.
The organic portion of the oyster
was submitted to analysis. The anal
ysis included the determination of
the heterogeneous constituents, glyco-
gen, fat, and nitrogen-free substances.
On account of the glyCogen in oys-
ters the mollusc has been regarded as
unsuitable for diabetic patients Ac-
corcing to our analyses, hOwevr. the
amount of liver sugar in the oysters
which we examined was very small
and certainly considerably less than
half that found by previous observers.
We made, however a number of ex-
periments on this point and in no in
stance did the amount of glycOgen in
the raw oyster exceed l per cent. A
further examination of the organic
portion of the oyster revealed the
presence of glycero- phosphoric COM
pounds, which are now used in medi-
81 IN Of nd nF
the glycero-phosphates of the aka
line metals for the purpose of i'm
proving the general nutrition of the
nervous system. Again. the flesh of
the oyster gave very definite reactions
corresponding with those yielded by
well-defined hillary principles.
We next turn to the composition Of
the mineral portion of the oyster.
A consideration of the entire results
shows that not only does the oyster
contain all classes of nutritive mate
rial. such as proteid, carbohydrate, fat
and mineral matter. but also for the
most part that these are present in a
readily assimilable form. This ap-
plies particularly to the coagulable
albumins, to the glycogen, to the or
ganic phosphorus compounds, and to
those substances which, as in beef tea,
develop the so-called osmazome on
heating or COOKING.
The next results refer to the solu-
bility of the oyster is various liquids,
including water, wine and beer.
According to these results the best
solvent of the oyster, next to cold wa
ter, is diluted gin. This is a some
what interesting result in view of the
preference which some people give to
gin as an accompaniment of a repast
of oysters. 1t is probable that di-
luted gin in being a decided solvent of
the oyster develops or brings out its
flavor considerably. Still more in
teresting are the differences shown
when the crushed oyster and the I'M
crushed oyster respectively are acted
upon by cold water. No less than one
half of the solid matter of the oyster
is soluble in water if the oyster is
first crushed. On the contrary, when
the oyster is not crushed only one
fourth of the solid contents is dissolved
by cold water. Certainly the true fla
vor of an oyster is appreciated most
when the molluse is deliberately mas
ticated and not when it is swallowed
whole. Opinions, however, differ on
this point, but this experiment, as re-
CARDS the solubility of an oyster shows
that mastication means the dissolu-
ton of at least, and probably more
than, half of the oyster in the mouth.
Chablis is also a good solvent of the
oyster and particularly of the mineral
matters; indeed the whole of the
phosphates are dissolved by chablis.
Champag ne being a similarly deli
cately acid wine would probably prove
a solvent of equal power, with the
added advantage that the effervescing
liquid would further favOrably infiu-
ence gastric digestion. Stout is pre-
ferred by many persons as a bever-
age with oysters, but curiously enough
stout appears to have no solvent eff
feet upon the oyster, probably because
the stout already contains relatively
large proportion of soluble matter. 1t
may be added that when the cold wa
ter extract of a crushed oyster is
heated an albuminous coagulum is
formed and on concentrating the wa
terry extract a brown liquid results
which is indistinguishable as regards
taste and smell from well-prepared
beef-tea. 1t develops osmaZome to d
remarkable degree. The boiled oyster
yields scarcely any soluble matter to
cold water, and it becomes tough and
indigestible by the process. The clear
liquor in which the oyster is boiled
contains certain eXtractives, but, of
course, not the coagulable proteids.
In some quarters considerable i'm
uuor contained in the oyster shell. The
liquor was opalescent and gave a
slight coagulum on boiling. but did
not contain sugars or reducing sub
stances According to these results
the liquor cannot be regarded as pos
sessing any special nutritive value con-
ssting chiefly of common salt.
The results on the whole show that
although the actual amount of nutri-
tive material in a raw oyster is small,
vet this material comprises all classes
of food substances namely, proteid,
carbohydrate, fat and certain min
eral salts. Moreover, the flesh of the
oyster undoubtedly contains these
substances in a peculiarly assimilable
form. Copper is apparently a constit-
uent common to all oysters in min
ute amount 1t probably occurs in
an organic compound much in the
same way and from as iron occurs in
the haemoglobin of the blood. Apart
from the extreme delicacy of the oys-
ter and from it's peculiarly appetizing
flavor there are, we think, reasons,
on purely dietetic grounds, why atten-
ton should continue to be given to the
cultivation of the oyster which, as the
foregoing results indicate, is an excel
lent article of food.
When Secretary Root was before
the Senate Committee on Military At
fairs he voiced his opinion of what