Terrors of the Table: The Curious History of Nutrition

by Walter Gratzer

Here, Walter Gratzer offers a marvelous smorgasbord of stories taken from the history of nutrition, providing an engaging account of the struggle to find the ingredients of a healthy diet, and the fads and quackery that have waylaid the unwary.
Gratzer recounts this history with characteristic crispness and verve. The book teems with colorful personalities, a veritable who's who of medical history, and highlights the brilliant flashes of insight as well as the sadly mistaken leaps of logic in the centuries-long effort to understand how the body uses food. We see the ingenious experiments used to reveal the workings of the stomach, the chemical analyses that uncovered the nature of proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins, and the slow recognition that malnutrition lay behind such terrible diseases as scurvy, rickets, beriberi, and pellagra. Along the way, we read about the invention of the tin can (which originally had to be opened with a hammer and chisel), learn why ancient Egyptians had thicker skulls than Persians, and find out about today's fads and fancy diets--some dangerous, others just daft.
Spiced with colorful anecdotes from the history of medicine and with sharp portraits of the scientists who helped or hindered our understanding of diet and digestion, Terrors of the Table is a must read for anyone interested in food and health.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Nutrition, Food

308 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Annabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book undoubtedly offers lots of information and every paragraph is packed with unknown facts about nutrition over the past centuries; it is truly fascinating. The only problem with the text, for me, is that it really jumps across not only decades but centuries within the same paragraph sometimes, which didn't suit my reading style or what I was looking for. The text is divided into relevant thematic sections, such as 'Fads and Quacks' and 'The Scurvy Wars', but personally I would prefer a more chronological structure that would be easier to follow and I would find it it easier to flick through different sections to find what I am looking for, as although it is all wonderfully interesting, I am only interested for the moment in the Elizabethan era, and it was rather difficult to search for only this.

[Durbsplaty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just started reading this most amazaing account of the history of nutrition. Picked it up by chance off the 'Sales' table at Exclusive's. We take so much for granted about the why and wherefore's of the foods we consider healthy to eat...or not eat. Really well written and extremely informative and entertaining!

[Jane Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixes two different fields of study; the discoveries of the science of nutrition and a history of such things as food adulteration and dieting. That doesn't work all that well. Despite what some have said, it is certainly not too technical. The complicated science is relegated to an appendix.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost like a textbook of stories of the people who studied nutrition through the ages and how they figured out how common health issues (e.g. rickets, scurvy) were related to nutrition, this book is a good read if you want every last detail (who studied nutrition plus their life story). Written from a scientific background, it gets very technical, so I wouldn't really recommend it for an average reader who wants to know "The Curious History of Nutrition". What you learn by reading it is that humans know very little about nutrition or what is ideal. We didn't know about vitamins until the last century! Crazy.

[rambow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting and entertaining book about the history of nutrition. It proceeds in roughly chronological order and goes into some detail about the lives and characters of the various major players in the history of nutrition, though some of the later chapters strike a slightly moralizing and alarmist tone. The bibliography is really helpful.

[Jocelyn Antl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very technical. Almost painful in some areas. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is new to the study of nutrition. On the other hand, it's very detailed with impressive scientific research and background. If you're looking for hard facts about a somewhat new and underdeveloped science, this is the book for you.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story about food and humanity's relationship with it throughout the course of history. The book doesn't flow well, and the writing is scholarly and dry, but it's worth the slog for the delightful trivia available within.

[Fee · Rating 2 out of 5]

"A curious history of nutrition". Academic, history, science, fads, quackery, health themes. Very laborious reading with some excellent gems hidden within.