Od słowa do liczby i z powrotem: refleksja na marginesie dziejów statystyki i nauki o żywieniu

From word to number and back: some thoughts about the history of statistics In the first part of his paper the author traces back the history of quantification in the description of nature and society. Its turning point was in the 17th century, the age of scientific revolution. Since that time quantification became the main tool, not only in experimental sciences but also social ones. In the second part of the paper the author deals with the emergence of the discourse of quantification in the field of nutrition. The 17th century scientific revolution brought about foundations of quantification to medical sciences. Among its pioneers was an Italian medic Santorio Santorio, who dealt with the problems of metabolism. In the late 19th century German and American physiologists introduced the discourse of quantification to nutritional sciences. Their goal was to educate consumers in rational choices of food. For nutritionists rational meant hearty and at the same time cheap. But in the second half of the 20th century not only consumers but also food industry adopted the discourse of quantification. The industry successfully exploited the discourse to encourage the consumers to buy its products. The present-day epidemics of obesity is apparently a direct consequence of living in an environment promoting overconsumption of food. The only way to efficiently fight the temptations created by the food industry is to adhere to a few rules defined by nutritionists, of which only one – weigh yourself regularly – is quantifiable.