Evening star., 1939-09-16
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms

Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
Food is the key to a nations health
and power
Such is the theme stressed by DR..
Victor G. Heiser, former medical direc-
tor of the Philippines, In describing the
cumulative effects of inadequate diets on
the maladies of middle and old age.
The association is seldom recognized,
but the high probability Of it has been
ments, DR.. Heiser declared. He told of
critical experiment with rats carried
out by Sir Robert McCarrison in India
in which two groups OF animals, both
kept under the best hygienic conditions,
those of the human populations in differ
| ent paftS OF the country.
One colony followed the dietary prac-
tice of certain peoples Of Northern India,
noted for producing superb physical
specimens. The diet consisted Of whole
wheat flour. unleavened bread and but
ter, raw carrots and cabbage, unboiled
whole milk, raw meat with bones once a
week, and plenty of water for drinking
| and washing. In 30 months there was
almost no sickness among these animals.
This represented the period from infancy
to middle age in man.
The other group was fed an approx
nation Of the diet Of the peoples Of
Southern India-grains, vegetable fats
and little or no milk, butter or fresh
vegetables. They developed host OF
diseases of ear, nose, upper respiratory
| passages, eyes, gastro-intestinal tract,
urinary tract, skin, blood, lymph glands,
endocrine system, nerves, heart and
teeth. Most of the conditions found are
common in human beings during middle
and old age
There were lot of gastric and duo
| denal ulcers. A similar prevalence was
| found among human beings eating the
same diet. There can be little doubt, DR..
| Heiser believes, that this is a case of
direct cause and effect. The rats on the
inadequate diet also showed a strong
| tendency to form stones in the bladders,
a condition unknown among those re-
ceiving the adequate diet
Dr. Heiser also cited the experiments
OF Prof. Saikf, director of the Japanese
Imperial Institute of Nutrition, on the
healing of appendix operation wounds.
He obtained permission to prescribe the
diet of hospital cases after they had been
operated upon. He found that with GER
tain changes in the diet, particularly
with regulation of the intake of vitamin
A, he could accelerate the healing or
prolong it almost indefinitely. He also
could produce gastric ulcers in the rats
by similar diet changes, and If the de-
fective diets were sufficiently prolonged
the ulcers became malignant.
In DR.. McCarrison's inadequately fed
rats, DR.. Heiser said, ulcerative colitis
was very common. 1t is also very COM
mon among the residents of Madras, who
live on similar diet
The experiments show, DR.. Heiser said,
that many of the usual diseases which
are encountered in a doctors Office or
ordinary hospital clinic could be induced
in healthy rats by improper feeding
There is, however, an additional factor
which has been neglected in application
of nutrition studies to man. The right
balance of constituents in his diet are
most important, but it is also important
that the digestive tract shall be in
healthy condition if the diet is to produce
disease-free, sound bodies. All too often
it happens that mans digestive appara-
tus has been so deranged by years of
wrong eating that even a correct diet is
incapable of restoring him to normal.
1t is essential that the intestinal tract be
put in good condition, as we'll as to have
the correct diet for it.
There is also an economic aspect.
Correct eating involves much lower
outlay for food than the usual menus
we consume If the diet is correctly bal
anced small quantity of food will suf-
flee. This is, of course, obvious. For
instance, If we poured an excess amount
of lubricating oil into motor it would
not cause the engine to function any
better.
"All too often we eat far too much
of substance that is not needed, and
still suffer from hunger If some needed
substance is not present in sufficient
quantity. There is every reason to be-
lieve, then, that the nation that can
regulate its food consumption in accord
ance with scientific principles may not
only produce a larger percentage of
sound, healthy people, but at cost inf
nitely less, and by inference become the
leader of the world"