Evening star., 1937-03-13
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,

Mans food supply through the ages has
been precarious. The human organism
has had to endure recurrent intervals of
hunger. 1t has somehow or other ad-
justed itself. physiologically as we'll as
economically, to Summers of plenty and
Winters of scarcity.
Likewise, for mankind as a whole. Sc
curing of food has required physical exer-
ton, Only in the tropics, where the
normal diet tends toward the vegetarian,
has there been any general exception to
either of these facts Only the few have
lived in luxury. The masses have toiled
and gone hungry. For million years,
at least. such was mans way of life. 1t
was taken for granted.
Suddenly, about the beginning of the
nineteenth century, the condition
changed, and it has been changing at
an accelerated pace ever since Scien-
tlflc methods showed the way to increase
the worlds food production many fold.
Ordinarily there was a plentiful supply.
Methods of food storage made it pos
sible to eliminate the hunger periods
altogether. Even in periods of economic
depression, such as that through which
the United States has just passed, it was
the proud boast that nobody starved" !"
At the same time the need for physical
eXertlon in getting and preparing food
was greatly reduced. Agricultural ma
chlnery did away with the labor with
scythe and hoe. The great slaughter
house, equipped with all modern mechan-
lcal devices, made absurd the long tricks
OF the hunter in search of meat. The tin
can has been described as the greatest
invention of all time" Perhaps it was.
1t is natural to look upon all this as
clear gain. The fact remains that the
organism has been forced to make very
rapid readjustment. The digestive appa-
ratus-every cell in the body, in fact-has
been called upon to break the habits of
a million years in little more than a
century and to replace them by new
habits. 1t would have been a miracle
if all the countless billions of citizens of
the physiological state had been disci-
plined out of their old ways so easily
SO that they would not overeat when
there was SO plentiful supply in the
blood stream
Actually the results may have been very
disastrous indeed. Certain diseases of
middle life-especially cancer-have been
SoAiiiAA5 Iii hiLiScilCc. Ilt gam Has UGGIl
greater than can be accounted for StatiS-
tically by such considerations as better
diagnosis, better medical reports and the
TACT that more persons live into the
cancer age"
This is the subject of a far-reaching
STUDY just published by DR.. Frederick l..
hoffman of the Biochemical Research
Foundation of the Franklin Institute.
His book, Cancer and Diet" issued
through the Williams & Wilkins Co., is
based on extensive statistical research
and investigation of individual cases.
He concludes: Il am absolutely con-
vinced that the underlying cause of can
Ger is to be found in an excessive intake
OF foods of high organic or mineral con-
tent or generally of an alkaline base
instead of acid. The caloric intake is
shown to be excessive in cancer patients
who are not in need. in adult life, of
SO much energy yielding foods in view
OF diminished exertiop and the almost
universal use of mechanical equipment,
diminishing the amount of bodily exer-
ton generally.
1T is not so much a question of any
particular type of food product. All food
products seem to be taken in excess. The