Medicine: The Case Against Mineral Oil

Like a mother fretting over a willful child's diet, beagle-eyed Dr. Morris Fishbein, editor of the American Medical Association Journal, keeps a sharp watch over the nation's food & drug habits. Last fortnight Dr. Fishbein was worrying about mineral oil, of all things.

For years, doctors have been recommending mineral oil for constipation and in weight-reducing diets. Because of animal and vegetable fat shortages, it has also been widely used in salad dressings. What worries Dr. Fishbein: recent research seems to prove that a steady diet of mineral oil is none too good for...