The United States Department of Agriculture, acting under the sanction
of an Act of Congress, is about to conduct a most extraordinary experiment. This is nothing less than the opening of a scientific boarding-house, at which twelve normal subjects, carefully selected and in good health, will be furnished with a diet consisting for half the time of such articles of food as are habitually prepared with preservatives, colouring substances, and other chemical admixtures. The results of the experiment are to be carefully recorded, with a, view to settling the vexed question of the relative harmfulness of these articles, and securing a basis for pure-food legislation. If all one beam of " unscientific " boarding-houses in America be true, the competition for admission to the Government table ought to be tremendous. Meanwhile we notice that the Gaulois prints as "absolutely authentic" the following notice Placarded by the Mire of a small commune in Seine-et-Oise : "Apres verifications faites chez les epiciers et marchands de vim, lea comestibles et boissons recormus nuisibles is la sauté seront confisques et distribues aux etablissements de hien- faisance." The American experiment is to be hedged about with safeguards, but we should like to know whether a "scientific boarder" would be able to insure his life at ordinary rates.
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