Herbert George Wells (1866—1946) was an English writer. He was prolific in many genres, writing dozens of novels, short stories, and works of social commentary, but he is now best remembered for his science fiction novels. "The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth" is a science fiction novel, first published in 1904. Hoping to create a new growth agent for food with beneficial uses to mankind, two scientists find that the spread of the material is uncontrollable. Giant chickens, rats, and insects run amok, and children given the foodstuffs experience incredible growth and serious illnesses.