The Wrangell sentinel., 1935-10-18


 in Alaska number 10000 to 12,00O, there is only one full time govern ment physician among them. He is Dr. Smith at Kotzebue. The phys elan at Point Barrow holds ap- poiutment under the Presbyterian mission. The physician at Nome is employed by the government on half-time basis. There should be at least one physician for every thou sand Eskimos."
 Dr. Leyine's major problem of research this year was the study of seurYy among the Arctic natives.
 Latent Scurvy Prevails
 "I examined 500 Eskimos and 200 whites living in the Arctic from St. Michael to Point Barrow, inclusive, Tor the presence of latent seuryy, he said Owing to the lack of fresh fruit and vegetables and also fresh meat during the summer season, it is exceedingly in teresting and highly important from a medical and scientific stand point to determine the existence of scuryy among the Arctic natives.
 My results indicate that there are no sharply defined symptoms of seurYy among these people. Latent scurYy, however, proved to be com mon To a very marked degree. EYi- dently the Eskimos do derive vita min (, that is the anti-scurYy vita min, from their native foods in a quantity sufficient to prevent the development of frank and full fledged scuryy, but not n a quan- tity to hinder the development of sub-clinical, latent or incipient scurYy.
 Since partial or complete lack Of any one Yitamin in the diet lowers the resistance to infections, and particularly infections Of the lower respiratory tract, it is very likely that the frequent epidemics of influenza that come upon the Es- kimOs in winter or in spring may have their origin in whole or in part to the presence of insufficient Yltamins in their diet. It has lately been shown by scientists that the Arctic is deficient in ultraviolet rays coming from the sun. This ultraviolet is equivalent to vita min D.
 In this connection it may be emphatically stated that the Es- kimo would fare much better from health standpoint if he subsisted on his native foods, which are rich CT by far in yitamin content than the type of white mans food white flour, sugar, tea and coffee with which he supplements more or less his own particular foods.
 T do not mean to raise an argu- ment against the food of the white man. The diet of the white man is indeed a very good and substantial one. It is very much varied and consists of more foods than flour, sugar, tea and coffee. It is not the white mans food that is causing physical deterioration among the Eskimos, but his adoption of that part of the white mans food that has the least to offer in nutritional yalue-in minerals and vitamins.
 T also have evidence which indi- cates that the white man living in the Arctic may be maintaining him. self on a diet closely bordering on production of latent or incipient scuryy. It is of paramount import ance for the attainment of freedom from disease and for the enjoyment of vigorous health, for the white man in the north to include in his diet as much fresh fruit and vege- tables as he could secure. Failing to supply himself with fresh fruits and vegetables he should be par ticularly careful to consume very liberal quantities of canned to- matoes, or tomato juice, canned grapefruit, canned orange juice. canned lemon juice, canned pine apple juice, canned green peas, and canned spinach. The citrus fruits are specially valuable as anti-scor- butte agents.
 "On the whole the white man in the Arctic is in very good condi- tion, so far as health is concerned. From the standpoint of health, there is no limit as to the number of people Alaska can hold. It's healthfulness and it's vast resourc- es argue that some day Alaska will have a population of 1O,000,0OO people and that some day Alaska will be one of the most important spots of the American continent