Shinbone and Beefsteak: Meat, Science, and the Labor Question

Could better nutrition help shore up U.S. democracy in an era of mass inequality? This talk explores the early years of nutrition science in the late nineteenth century by examining the science’s use as a tool for cultural and political change. By looking at how scientists understood the relationship between wages, the cost of living, and better nutrition, my paper will shed light on the political life of scientific ideas.