Evening star., 1938-12-18
Dr.. Paul Howe Responsible
For Better Prison Meals
Nutrition Specialist t
ADDS Variety to
Drub Menus
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.
DR.. Paul Howe, assistant chief of
the Bureau of Animal Industry, who
is president of the Washington
Academy Of Science and one of
Americas nutrition research ex-
perts, has in all probability done
more than any other individual in
the United States to give variety,
interest, and greater nutritional
value to Federal prison meals.
His has been the crusaders spirit
OF approaching the problem of bet
ter meals in Federal prisons, not
from the reform angle, but from the
nutritional, which also happens to
be the psychological, as he works 1t
out.
Nor has DR.. Howe's cruSading add
ed to the cost of prison meals.
His theories have on the other hand
actually resulted in the annual saw
ing of considerable sums Of money
to the United States Government in
addition to improving the nutri-
tional as well as the appetizing quail
ity of hitherto drab prison menus.
Should Be Interesting.
Meals, as a matter of fact" this
scientific nutrition expert says,
Should do more than merely nour-
ish your body. They should satisfy
your interest, just as they should
crafty your eye by their attractive
arrangement. Their intriguing aro-
mas not only whet your appetite,
but recall pleasant memories of
happy occasions when similar ones
have arrested your attention. SIM
ilarly, unpleasant food odors have
disagreeable associations"
Meals" DR.. Howe continues,
"often constitute the only feature in
the fixed routine of prisoners which
offer some hope of variety along
with the weather.
Because there is an emotional
tie-up in our eating habits, serving
the same meals in corrective insti-
tutions on fixed days and repeating
this sameness according to stand
arized routine, often incites their
inmates to rebellion and riot" DR..
Howe emphasizes.
From him I also learned that
prison meals, because of the neces-
sarily rigid routine of penal insti-
tutions, can never be behind time,
no matter what kitchen exigencies
may arise AS result the general
tendency in the past has been not
only absolutely to standardize them,
but to prepare them SO far in ad-
vance of the serving time that flavor
and edibility have been definitely
sacrificed.
Beans, Stews Disliked.
The worst prison hates" it seems,
are beans and stews, because the
inmates feel that they are hand
OUTS" although they are quick to
appreciate both of these stand-bys
when well prepared.
Since eating is one of the chief
diversions of the closely regulated
lives of prisoners" DR.. Howe ex-
planned, such monotoncus food
schedules as prunes for Monday
breakfasts, stews for Monday din
ners, baked beans for Tuesday and
Saturday suppers, week in and week
out, invariably Cause them to begin
to crouch about them even before
the meals are served"
Neither" he continues, lis there
any single thing in a prison routine
which has a greater tendency to
demoralize an otherwise good spirit
than grouching over food. And con-
tinued grouching over food has with
IN itself grave potentialities for in
flaming the dangerous mob COM
plex. For this reason the Depart
ment Of Justice has long been inter-
ested in better food for prison in
mates"
Cooking" DR.. Howe maintains
"can be as creative in prisons as
anywhere else, giving pleasure and
satisfaction to the same extent that
it does nutrition. All that needs to
be done is to translate nutrition
ally adequate diets based upon sci
entiflc facts into terms of food to
prison stewards and challenge them
to variety in their use. This will
unfailingly give better meals at no
greater cost, but with infinitely
greater nutritional value and in
terest."
This type of food analysis is ap-
plicable not only to all institutions,
but to home management as well.
Prison Stewards Praised.
For the majority of officials who
administer our Federal prisons and
for their prison stewards DR.. Howe
has only the highest praise and
commentator. Their responsible
ity and vigilance" he says, "are on
continuous, 24-hour schedule for
the 365 days of the calendar year.
Yet they are not only faithful to
their responsibilities as custodians,
but have very real interest in re-
habilitating the lives of their
charges. Always they show, too,
keen sense of appreciation of the
part that food may contribute in re-
habilitation. !
DR.. Howe is not a physician, but
a biochemist with a national repu-
tation in his field. The nutritional
and psychological theories which he
has successfully demonstrated in
Federal prisons go back to his World
War experiences as a nutrition ex-
pert serving as an officer In Amer
ica's Sanitary Corps under DR.. John
r. Murlin Of Rochester, who organ
lied our Army food and nutritional
division. To this wartime service
for his country he brought the
scholarly scientific background of
an A. B., A. M. and Phi. D. from
the University of Illinois, where
his scientist father, Edward G.
Howe, was for many years a men,
ber of the faculty, as we'll as the
author of well-known text books
in his field.
Specialized in Nutrition.
Specializing very early in nutri-
tional problems, DR.. Howe previous
to his World War service was a