Terrors of the Table: The Curious History of Nutrition.

TERRORS OF THE TABLE: The Curious History of Nutrition WALTER GRATZER

Before the early 17th century, little scientific attention was given to what we put in our mouths, beyond basic admonitions against overindulgence and obesity. Biophysicist Gratzer unfolds the history of nutrition science as it advanced, illuminating how food is processed in the body and what nutrients are essential to health. Initial nutritional theories followed misguided ideas about bodily humors. Then, in the 18th century, Antoine Lavoisier defined basal metabolic rate. In 1822, physician William Beaumont studied the workings of the stomach through a bullet hole in a wounded soldier. Louis Pasteur's 1860 demonstration that spoilage is caused by microorganisms also contributed to scientists' understanding of digestion. Gratzer examines food preservation through canning, pickling, and refrigeration; the recognition of the importance of vitamins; and the emergence of various dietary fads that promise eternal youth and health. The author ends this history with an early review of nutrition in the new millennium, with its focus on good and bad cholesterol, the backlash against carbohydrates, and the uphill fight against obesity in many populations. Oxford, 2005, 288 p., b&w plates, hardcover, $30.00.