Increasingly in the 20th century, science has assumed the role of a kind of great legitimator. Advertisers note that a panel of scientists (or doctors) recommend product x. Science is used to determine acceptable levels of toxins, minimal levels of nutrients, safety standards in buildings to cite just a few examples. This use of science assumes that a uniform agreement among scientists exists. Yet scientists are frequently not univocal in their positions, and to assume that it must be is a grave misunderstanding of the scientific process. One need look only at the current controversy among scientists on the feasibility of SDI to see how science may lead to fiercely held, yet differing public policy decisions. Such disagreement among scientists led to the termination of the science advisory apparatus during the Nixon administration because of disagreements over the SST supersonic transport. It is important to examine the role of science as a legitimator in our culture and to see how interested parties use science to attack and to defend against charges. Dr. Apple is examining just this question in the context of promotion of vitamins, one of the most heavily advertized products in our contemporary world. From the earliest years of vitamin research in the 1910's, these mysterious and elusive food elements captured the attention of the public and spurred the development of the vitamin industry. In 1933, the total retail value of vitamins sold in drug stores amounted to about $500,000; by 1937, this figure had grown to $41,800,000. Sales of nutritional supplements could exceed $10- billion by 1990. A part of this growth has included nutrition quackery. Enthusiasts who embraced and at times even created their own vitamins flourished. Through their promotions, nutrition faddists and frauds helped popularize the discoveries of scientific research, affecting the public's perceptions of good nutrition while creating a demand for their products. Dr. Apple will use data on such products and an estimate of the level of popular knowledge about vitamin research drawn from contemporary publications. This information will be integrated with information from the Federal Trade Commission and archival material from the Food and Drug Administration and the American Medical Association. This study of the claims and products of vitamin research and vitamin quackery will document the use of science in the marketplace and help to clarify the complex and shifting relationships between science and commerce in a rapidly changing society.
