Terrors of the Table

A book of astonishing scope and full of unusual characters and intriguing snippets of information. Although trained as a biophysicist, the author's erudition is prodigious as he single-handedly tells the story of nutrition in both scientific and social terms. Not is malnutrition omitted; indeed it forms a historical leitmotif up to the present time, with some specially graphic examples from the last World War including the siege of Leningrad as it then was. Food has thrown up its fair share of eccentrics and later chapters are entitled 'Fads and Quacks' and 'Profits and the Higher Quackery'. Not all readers will agree with Gratzer in where he draws the line, for instance in relation to Linus Pauling and Vitamin C. However, they will read the book with real relish.