Mineral nutrition theory

Pierre Thouvenel (Lorraine, 1747-Paris, 38 February 1815), General Inspector of Mineral Waters in France, fugitive to Italy in the Revolution, physician to Louis XVIII on the Restoration, published on animal nutrition, on mucous bodies and on medical chemistry, and was the first French author to write on galvanism. He made analyses of cantharides and woodlice and with his brother wrote a prize essay on saltpetre (see p. 466) Pierre Thouvenel also gained a prize on this subject. Rewrote on the phlogistic and antiphlogistic theories. ... 

Minerals are deposited in hair as it grows and, in theory, the hair reflects the mineral status of an individual at the time of hair growth. Scientific analytical methods, such as atomic absorption spectometry, neutron activation analysis, and x ray fluorescence spectometry, are sensitive enough to detect the levels of minerals in hair samples. Because hair samples are easily and painlessly obtainable, and because hair samples are stable and store easily, there is considerable interest in the use of hair as a diagnostic tool for mineral deficiencies and/or toxicities. However, like many other diagnostic tests, hair analysis is only a tool to complement other tests and observations. It is not a panacea. For the reasons which follow, an individual s nutritional status cannot be assessed solely on the basis of a hair analysis ... 

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