Evening star., 1942-03-24
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
Hu ThO1nns n Hlnru
BIZ Thomas r. Henrv.

And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
France Is starving.
The extent OF the starvation Is re-
vealed for the first time in a'report just
received by the American Medical As
ISOLATION from its regular. but anony-
NOUS French correspondent, who Is
familiar with the medical aspects Of
the situation.
His letter, although dated from Paris,
presumably refers to the unoccupied
area.
Here is the ration for an adult al
lowed by the government:
Breads ounces q day.
Meat, with bones-sA ounces . week.
Sugar. ounces . week.
Cheese ounces q week.
Fat-3910 ounces . week, including
about y Of an ounce Of butter .
month.
PotatoeS2h pounds . week.
CofIee-2 ounces . month.
Nutritious paste"-2 ounces Q week.
Laborers are allowed extra ounces
OF bread q day and about extra
ounces Of meat . week.
Children from to get q pint and
from 7 to IA . half pint Of milk . day.
Up to the age Of s they get . quarter
pound and from to II . half pound
Of chocolate q month.
Few people actually get as good . ra-
ton as this. Some, especially In the
country are able to supplement 1t. But
at the best. the American Medical As
sociation correspondent points out, 1t
is far below the minimum necessary
in the opinion Of medical men Of the
Vichy government itself. There Is. of
course, nothing to be done about 1t until
the war is over The ration has re.
manned stationary for . year, with
very slight alterations.
1t has been analysed by French scien-
fists Of the governments Laboratoire do
Physiologie in respect to the essential
food ingredients for . human being. It
supplies about l ,225 calories . day. This
is about half the normal requirement
Of the average active person. 1t con-
tains 22o grams of carbohydrates sugars
and starches-instead OF the required
$50 grams. There are only II grams
Of animal albumin The minimum set
by the French scientists Is 30 grams.
This animal albumin contains most Of
the so-called amino acids. into which
proteins are split up by the digestive
processes and which are the building
stones Of tissue. Without them growth
or replacement is impossible. Some Of
them can be obtained from vegetables
which may be available to the farm
population.
A great deal Of the indispensable
fatty acids and vitamin L. which 10
derived from vegetable fats, Is missing
At the same time much of the oil soluble
vitamins A and d are missing.
At . recent meeting Of the French
Academy Of Medicine. the correspondent
says, the serious calcium deficiency was
discussed. 1t existed even before the
war. Calcium is essential for teeth
and bones. The requirement differs
with age. For . child Of 6 receiving
the full ration there Is - per cent
deficiency. This increases to Q do.
dciency Of 02 per cent at 10.
Tho rationed food is extremely poor
in all minerals. 1t contains only two
thirds OF the necessary phosphorus and
magnesium, and three -fourthS OF the
minimum requirement Of potassium.
1t also is grossly deficient in vitamins.
Several diseases due to vitamin de.
ficiency already have been observed.
Among these Is night blindness In chill.
children, due to ntAmin A shortage.
scurvy. with bleeding Of the gums. ap-
pears to be common. 1t could be stopped
with minimum amounts Of vitamin G.
-
Discovery Of remains of q Stone Age
civilization in Palestine has Just been
announced by DR.. Miller Burrows, presi-
dent Of the American Schools Of Oriental
Research with headquarters ut Yale
University.
Excavations made by M. stekelis. resi-
dent archeologist in Palestine, resulted
in finding pottery and household uten.
sils in caves near the seacoast. Flint
implements and animal bones were dis.
covered near the seaport Of JANA.
Further north. on the west side Of
Mount Carmel, famous in Biblical his
tory for its association with the Prophet
Elijah and the $50 Prophets Of Baal.
another cave yielded numerous indica-
tions of . civilization Just emerging
from the Stone Age and Of the animals
which lived at that time. This second
cave is near the Crusader castle at Ath-
lit and the city Of Haifa. important Pal
estinian terminal OF the oil pipe line from
Iraq which has been bombed frequently
during the war.
Archaeological work in the caves was
dangerous because armies Of mosquitoes
and bats swarmed about the scientists
and DR.. Stekelis reports that he had to
rub himself and co-workers with oil be-
fore entering them. Shepherds often
used the caves as temporary sheltering
places for their fiocks on Mount Carmel
d,,rIyv the winter month";