COAL AS FOOD.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8222, 28 August 1906, Page 3

COAL AS FOOD.

.A WONDERFUL DISCOVERY OF SCIENCE. Our remote descendants may eat -coal. The ooal-miner tbon may be -one of the most important of foodproducers. This is an idea suggested by the repuit that Dr. Emil Fischer, the winner of the Nobeli prize in 1902, professor of chemistry in the University of Uerlin, h ,j s sucoeeded in building up frcm the cells of a coal proteid, the moat important form of food, which supplies muscle and tissue to tne body and is absolutely necessary to the maintenance of life. The idea uf preparing food from coal does not at firsc blush sound appetising, but it must be remembered that the substance prepared by Dr Fischer contains exactly same elements as an egg or a beef- 5 steak or bean. The necessary atoms are found in coal, but when they ar-J built up into n proteid, they have absolutely nothing in common with •coal, as far as flavour, smell, appearance or other qualities apparent to the sensed are concerned. ALL THE FLAVOHKS OF FRUIT IN COAL. Professor Fisoher has arpady ob tained from tho refuse of coal practically all the scents of the flowers, from rose to violets and all the flavours of the fruits from pineapples to peaches. He has reconstructed sugar in various forma from the same material. All th«sse wonders are tne results . of synthetical chemistry. lu its early dajs chemistry was analytical that is, concerned with splitting up substances inco their cornpouent elements. When analytical chemistry bad progressed to a certain point it became rjossible to put together elements add built them up into complex substances. That was syuthetioal chemistry. That is how id the ■course of years of invesigation it became possible ror Professor Fischer to reconstruct food from coal. DOGS FED ON COAL FOOD. The professor first tried his new food on dogs A lilter of five pups about three months' old were chosen, be. cause they were growing about as rapidly as any creature th»t could be found and were consequently in the greatest need of tissue-making proteid. Another litter of five born at the same time were kept under observation to compare the experi-' I ment. ■ The first five were fed on the new food exclusively, and the others on ordinary foo3. Their growth aud weight ani strength were recorded with minutest details. The artificial food was mixed with a white sterilized non-nutritiocs liquid designed to resemble milk and lull the suspicions of the pups. At the end of a month the first dogs bad grown slightly more that the naturally fed doge, weighed more and exhibited superior health and strength. Their coats were thick and glossy, and they beat their naturally fed .brothers in running after a ball. Dr. Fischer ate his new compound himself for a week and found bis health and strength maintained in a very satisfactory manner.