The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-04-02
CAN'T SEE THE WOOD FOR THE
 TREES

CAN'T SEE THE WOOD FOR THE
 TREES
 The physician today must think of nutritional deficiency disease or state rather than deficiency dis eases and should consider this de- ficiency ctate in many clinical prob lens. This is not my arbitrary as- sertion, but the conclusion reached by leading clinician, internist, gaStro-enterologist, specialist in diseases of the stomach and intes- tines. References cited for physi- clans onlyD The subject of the gastro-enterologist's discussion was Multiple Specific Nutritional De- ficiency Disease in the Adult" and I quote some of his observations:
 Symptoms resulting from de- ficiency in specific nutritional fac- tors occur frequently, although clin- ical entities designated deficiency diseases such beriberi and scuIVy are uncommon. The deficiency may be due to a deficient intake of the specific food factors for normal needs, an insufficient supply for ab- normal needs such as pregnancy or lactation, defect in absorption or a disturbance in utilization. The nu- tritional defect is frequently mul- tiple, although often one defect is more important"
 Now just by way of contrast let me quote from another clinician. in- ternist, gastro-enterologist of equal prominence:
 Even the physician with very large practice will see only a few cases year in which he will SuS- pect the symptoms are due to too great narrowing of diet"
 This gentleman had appointed himself a committee of one to dash cold water on the vitamin fad, as he regarded 1t.
 Oh, well, it would be a dull world If the doctors all agreed.
 Orthopedic examination of great numbers of school children shows that few of us are without some permanent defect of rickets in in- fancy or early childhood. Yet when physicians are reminded of the shortage of vitamin D in the natu- ral food of infant or child they often reject or neglect the prescrib- ing of a suitable ration of vitamin D to supplement the diet of the infant or child, or the ground that T haven't seen a case of ricketS in years It is fortunate for chil- dren today that the doctors do not refuse or neglect to give preven- tive treatment against diptheria on that ground.
 To be sure, deprivation of vita- min B severe enough to produce outspoken beriberi (polyneuritis, multiple neuritis) is practically un- known in this country, but the phy- scian abreast of progress in diag- nosis and treatment is well aware that weakness, lack of vigor, poor digestion, constipation, "colitis" and palpitation on slight exertion may be due to moderate or partial de- ficiency of vitamin B. Indeed, the alert physician sees to it~that heart cripples in hospital wards receive an adequate daily ration of vitamin B to hasten recovery of compensa- ton or reserve power. No doctor today can afford to wait until a tyro could see the patient has beri- beri.
 Typical scurvy from deprication of vitabin c Is rare enough, yet physicians trained in the new school of diagnosis recognize moderate deficiency of vitamin c as the cause of listlesSness, backwardness or laziness in growing children whose diet does not include enough fresh fruit; and sore gums, anemia, vague rheumatic" pains and crochety dis position in older folk who do not get enough vitamin c in one form or another.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 Head Beating
 Since my daughter has been able to raise her head she had the habit of beating her head against the mattress during her sleep. She Is