At various times Jerusalem artichokes have been advocated in the diet of the diabetic patient. The tuber is rich in inulin, which on hydrolysis yields levulose, a monosaccharid to which is attributed the peculiar power of easier assimilation than dextrose. Joslin1 expressed the belief that this may be due to the conversion of a portion of the levulose to fat or to a more active stimulation of the production of insulin.
A word may not be amiss here concerning the name and history of the plant. The following information is contained in an article by Shoemaker.2 The Jerusalem artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus L., is widely known but little used in the United States. Champlain found the tuber growing in the gardens of the Indians at Mallebarre (now Nauset Harbor, Cape Cod, Mass.) on July 21, 1604. Lescarbot, a companion of Champlain, probably introduced it into France. Plants similar in