Evening star., 1947-08-03

| Winner Finds
Most stHeoIthfuI
tionists learn about the individual
nutrients which the body needs for
health, the clearer 1T becomes that
. varied diet Is the best way to sup
ply these needs" she declared. Eat
a wide variety Of foods and learn to
enjoy all kinds. There possibly are
undiscovered vitamins or other un-
detected factors in foods - who
knows?"
During her research studies at
Cornell, three women. including her
self, voluntarily ate experimental
meals Sc planned as to compare the
body's utilization of selected food
factors in synthetic diet with their
utilization on a diet of natural foods.
For seven weeks the three ate the
synthetic diet consisting of casein
for protein, vegetable shortening for
fat, and Dextri- Maltese for carbo-
hydrates, and mineral and yitamin
mixtures. This added up, so far as
modern nutrition science knows, to
the body's daily requirements" DIR.
Hathaway declares. Equal portions
of the synthetic diet were served
three times q day in half pint ice
cream cartonsS We called it hard
sauce, since it had about that con-
sistency. The flavor was peculiar,
but after a day or two we got used
to 1t. A sense of humor helped" I"
Although the hard sauce" could be
eaten very quickly, the three exper-
imenters took the same time for
meals as other people, listened to the
radio, records of both classical and
popular music and tried to keep the
meal hour fairly normal, although
the food wasn't. They did not get
hungry between meals, and the diet
supplied adequate calories. They did
drink more water than usual though,
because there was so much less
water in the diet than in familiar
foods.
After q month off for study, DR..
Hathaway and her two friends then
followed three. weeks controlled
diet of natural foods, calculated to
have approximately the same food
value as the synthetic diet. The same
menu was used every day; breakfast
tomato juice, cornflakes and milk,
egg: dinner-ground beef, potatoes,
snap beans, frozen peaches: supper
carrots, rice, bacon, cheese and let
tuce with mayonnaise, apple sauce.
Measured amounts of rye crisp,
raisins, peanuts and peppermint
candy were also eaten, any time
during the day when they preferred
them.
Some Tests Reported.
DR.. Hathaway's finding from these
tests on two important vitamins,-
thiamine and ribeflavin-have been
reported. They show that on the
diet of natural foods the body man
ufactures for itself more of these
vitamins especially ribefiavin than
on the synthetic diet, thus supply
ing the body with a larger amount
than the diet itself affords. THE
difference Is there and 1t is definite,
this woman biochemist says. Her
unpublished work on other nutrients
which she tested in the course of the
experiment, also points to the same
conclusion: Diets of natural foods
are more satisfactory than synthe-
tic diets planned to supply all the
known nutrients.
Unlike many research scientists,
DR.. Hathaway was attracted slowly
to science. In fact, she had a COM
plex against science" in her high
school days. Not until her first chem
istry course as d college sophomore
at Wells College, which was a must
and not an elective, did she en-
counter q science that aroused her
interest. Even after she decided to
major in chemistry, she said that
chemistry was the only worthwhile
science. AS q senior she added a
course in physics because her chem
istry and math teachers bore down"
and said she must. -,
Member of the American Insti-
tute Of Nutrition, American Chernf-
cal Society, American Home Eco
nomics Association, American Asso-
ciation for Advancement of Science,
American Public Health Association,
Sigma XII, Iota Sigma ri, Sigma
Delta Episolon and Phi Sigma, this
widely known woman chemist has
definite conclusions about oppor-
tunities for her sex,s advancement
in her particular field Of science.
Specialization Regarded as Must.
Today she feels strongly that
woman entering biochemical re-
search Is wise to specialize In nutri-
ton problems. In some fields of bio
chemistry, men only are wanted. But
much of the research in nutrition
Is being done In colleges of agricul-
ture and home economics, where
women students have excellent op-
portunities. And since nutritional
problems the world around have a
graver significance at present than
they have had in the previous history
of mankind, she feels nutritional
biochemistry Is a worthwhile field
as profession. She says important
advances are still to come.
She takes her work seriously but
not herself, and her sense of humor
bubbles over into the daily relation
ship Of her life.
Genealogy is her cross word
puzzle" avocation. She pursues these
studies with her sister who is COM
pihng a family history of the Hath
away family in this country since
Colonial times and thinks "they are