The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-09-29

l T., ..i, counon recently the conductor derid-
 cd the claim that beer is equivalent 10 mix III | food value Since 1 ridiculed the absurd ciai'' | thcre have been appearing in many newspapers
 letters to the editor, signed In eacn case py 'ne
 soroo name in which tables of analyses or
 beer and milk are given. the anaryJ.sen G,s ''s ae
 credited to pr Robert Wahl of Chicago, as
 made in 1915 In view of the fact that my name is used the occasion Tor the ie'ter .o "
 the paper 1t may be well to state the essehtia' l scientific facts, lest any unintiated rcaocr pc
 mised. a,toa l First the comparative analyses as creoiteo | to Wahl seem fair enough. ~
 ICarbohydrate (sugar) ...... 4'lo% ''Vom Protein (nitrogenous materiaD oso% 'oo 70
 .anSai - 3.75% | Fat 9'oo 70 .o o.c Water ................ ofoV 70 'V.vp 70 l As the tables arc given in the letter %hich has been sent to many editors, the alcohol IS entered as Equivalent to butter rats Tn looo vaIuc" In a personal communication the au- |thor of the letters writes me that it happened he was student under Professor AtWa'er or the chemistry department Of wesleyan uhi- versity in 190O-19O1 while the famous eXperl- ments with the calormeter were being con ducted, go he purports to have first hand 1n- formation as to the nature and hndlngS oi those experiments.
 Not withstanding that q gram of fat com |bustion or oxidation in the body yields 94 cal ores whereas q gram Of alcohol yieids ohIy 7.2 calorics. .
 Even If all the alCOhOl Tn q plIlt OI peer Couiu be oxidized and utilized food or q fuel, a source of energy heat in the body. it would yield scarcely 13O calorics, whereas all the fat in q pint of milk, which is readily oxdizcd .pd utilized by the body, yields more than 1SO calorics. .
 The sugar or carbohydrate content of milk and beer may be regarded as practically the same, but the protein content of beer Is negli- ,ible while the protein of milk is one of the m ost substantial and complete building mater ials in the human dietary.
 Ordinary run of the market milk at cents ! quart Gas 1t has recently cost) or at 25 cents l quart Gas the finest grade certified milk, and tn some communities, goats milk costs), Is far cheaper and better food than the best beer brewed even if the beer could be had for the same price as milk.
 The truth Is that the human metabolism can oxidize and utilize as food or fuel or tissue sparer source of heat or energy, only
 limited quantity of alcohol. Experiments under scientific control indicate that the maximum adult can utilize is something less than ,. c. (small teaspoonfuD of alcohol in an hour If more than that maximum Is taken, the ex- cess is excretcd unburned, mainly through the lungs, and it is readily detected on the subjects breath. Indeed, when the odor of alcohol is on the breath it Is proof that more has been .aken than the body can utilize. Such excess may not be regarded intoxication by the laity or by the law, but scientifically we must regard it, since alcohol is a narcotic depres- sant in it's action on the body.
 I still deridc the intimation that beer com parcs favoraby with milk in food value, and 1 need not brand this bald assertion that alco- hol is equivalent to butter fat in food value.