Nutrition and Food Supplies
1936-09 1936 1930s 33 pages : illustration DOES MALNUTRITION EXIST? The great advance in the science of Nutrition in recent years, raises economic and political issues which the scientists hesitate to face — some of them protesting too much that it is impossible to prove a close relation...
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| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
| Language: | English English |
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London : The Labour Party
September 1936
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/42791D1A-6B3C-4F83-B3A9-644DF2387A7C http://hdl.handle.net/10796/6BAA53C6-F971-4EAC-A3D3-23A711B406BD |
| Summary: | 1936-09
1936
1930s
33 pages : illustration
DOES MALNUTRITION EXIST? The great advance in the science of Nutrition in recent years, raises economic and political issues which the scientists hesitate to face — some of them protesting too much that it is impossible to prove a close relation between nutrition or malnutrition and poverty. Official Complacency The official attitude is over-complacent. It is true that for some years the Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health has contained warnings about the possible dangers to future health of prolonged unemployment. But the tendency has been to maintain that things are not so bad. For example, the last Report (published in September, 1935), after quoting extensively from the report of a special Inquiry in the County of Durham, adds the comment:— “The evidence in this report, evidence which is congruent with much other information available to the medical department, shows that even in the most distressed areas of the country the measures taken by public authorities and the generous efforts of individuals have so far as the usual indices of health can be trusted, largely held in check the deleterious influences of unemployment and reduced income.” (page 17). The particular inquiry to which such authority is given, was undertaken by the Ministry of Health following statements in the press by a doctor in the county that there was “a substantial and progressive deterioration of the public health.” The investigation was carried out by three doctors who spent sixteen week-days in the area, and examined over 4,700 persons — pre-school children, school children, adolescents, pregnant and nursing mothers. Had they each given eight hours on all the sixteen days to these examinations, they could have spent barely five minutes on each person! It is absurd to use a report based on such an inquiry as evidence of the health conditions of the people in any area. The latest report (1934) of the Chief Medical Officer to the Board of Education records a slight increase in 4
127/NU/5/5/1/12 |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |