The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1914-12-04
WHITE FLOUR FOOD.

"A little learning is a dangerous thing:
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian |
There shallow drafts intoxicate the brain. |
And drinking largely sobers again"
A recent magazine article written by
an expert" on food matters misquotes
the first line of the above and then
gives particular point to the truth of
the quotation by grossly misinterpret-
ing clean cut, scientific demonstra-
ton OF disease resulting from the use
of sophisticated food matter.
The article in question reads as fol-
lows I'VE are told about biochemical
properties of wheat offals and as proof
we are referred to the ravages of beri-
beri from eating hulled rice This is
'jugglery.' something on the order OF
the magician Kellar. To be specific,
beri-beri is a disease that has no con-
nection with the whole wheat and
white -four question. 1t is as remote
as 1t can be. Beri-beri is form OF
nervous disease that has affected the
natives of Asia, who live mainly on
rice, and of late years the introduction
of hulled rice has increased the dis
ease. 1t has been found that when rice
! polish was used as food along with
| the rice the disease was lessened in in
| tensity.
From this it has been argued that
the rice hulls contained nourishing
substances which had been removed
from the rice in polishing. This looked
very plausible. From these facts 1t was
argued that wheat bran must also con-
tain nourishing substances and they
should not be removed from the wheat
| in the manufacture of Hour. For
| tunately, however, the subject OF beri-
beri has been worked out scientifically,
and Funk, of the Lister institute, has
| shown that the disease is caused by
some toxic action of rice protein.
This should show the danger OF be-
| ing Influenced by the exaggerated ac-
counts of white bread and hulled rice
starvation, statements which have no
foundation in proved facts. White
bread is safe food. Polished rice ie
safe food as scientific investigation
has proved"
The discerning reader will note thai
the matter in the body of the article
controverts the finding stated in the
closing paragraph quoted. The whole
truth is as follows:
Casimir Funk of the biochemical de
partment, Lister Institute of Prevent
i've Medicine, discovered that sub
stance could be recovered from the
matter ground from the surface of rice
in polishing it which would in a few
hours cure a disease known as poly
neuritis, or berirberi. In the journal
of Physiology, August. 1912, page rs
under the title, THE Preparation from
Yeast and Certain Foodstuffs of the
Substance the Deficiency of Which tx
Diet Occasions Polyneuritis in Birds,
will be found his last report known Il
the present writer. In this article
Funk shows that he obtained a sub
stance from rice polishings which IL
doses of 0.02 gram (0.3 grain) rapidly
cured polyneuritis In a large number
OF pigeons.
Underlying every happening in thil
universe Is a law or principle, and the
same principle will be found producing
many widely separated results. TIL,
statement that beri-beri has no con
nection with whole wheat and whit,
-four Is not strictly true, because tn,
same principle applies. Beri-beri /.
caused by mineral starvation, ant
we know many diseases are caused b,
the mineral starvation resulting from
the too free use of demineralized foods
including -four. The writer PERSONAL,
knows OF large fiocke of chickens be
ing killed by feeding them on denim
eralized grain, and of dogs killed b.
. feeding them on demineralized mea
and white bread. Every physologis
OF note states that the vitality of tn,
individual cell depends on free sup
ply OF mineral matter consisting OF a
least three elements. 1t would be rea
sonable then to expect some definit,
oeleterfous result from q diet com
posed largely OF mineral-free matter
and the fact that all white bread eat
Ing peoples are greatly troubled will
constipation may be considered evt
: dence to this belief. Further evidenc,
that white bread is not healthful Il
owen Wy OhcI MAN, VINO states ina
: washed bran fed to cows was found t,
be constipating, indicating that tn
: laxative property of ordinary bran an,
whole wheat products is dependent no
simply upon mechanical irritation.
1t would be as logical to state tina
> while you might break your neck fall
ing off thirty foot brick house, fall
ing off thirty foot frame house owe
in the next block is safe because it ha
no connection with the brick house
1T is as remote. as IL can be-" Tha
may be, but nevertheless, the chance
; OF breaking your neck are equal, be
cause the principles are identical.
The too free use of white -four, or O
any other demineralized foodstuff, NJ
; matter whether it be demineralized b.
] being processed or by stupid cooking
r methods. is detrimental to health