The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-08-11

Out of 300 children only about 25 were shown to be in normal health. Many had typical symptoms of vita min deficiencies, chapped lips, lesions at the corners of their mouths and noses, discolored tongues, teteh in poor condition, and night blindness. Others were pale, Nstless, tired out and their school marks were low.
 Where did this happen2 Not in prostrate Poland, not in starving Greece, but right here in America in the heart of the nations rich- est farm land T!hese startling facts have just been revealed with the completion of 8 three-month ex- perimental study made on ten and eleven-year old children in eight schools in five Michigan towns.
 These children were not from sharecroppers' families, or from the slums of big cities. Eighty per- cent of them had fathers working in war industries. The average in- come for their homes was perhaps slightly higher than the average for the nation. Thirty per cent of of the youngsters lived on farms, 70 per cent came from small towns. Michigan was selected for the test because 1t was believed that chill dren in this area would be typical of the school children of the United States.
 BefOre-and-Aft
 TYyI. -A, A4~AAkaA HNvy %hA NfV~ tritional Biochelnistry Laborities of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, provided dramatic "be- fore -and- -after' evidence of the eff ficacy of supplementing the daily diet with scientifically balanced Wt- amin mineral concentrates.
 Before the food supplement was given, 50 per cent of the children showed deficiency of Vitamin c, or ascorbic acid. Afterward only IS per cent of the group which had received the supplement were to some deficient in ascorbic acid. Inn provements were also noted for Vita- A. These latter changes, from a statistical standpoint, were not not striking but correction of de- ficiencies in these vitamins gener- ally cannot be accomplished in less than six to nine months. There fore, in the opinion of those who conducted the study, any noticeable improvement in so short aperiod as three months is of definite sig nificance.
 In cost cases the nutritional de- ficiences, reported Dr. Robert 8. Harris, director of M. I. ITS Nutri- tional Biochemistry Laboratories, were so acute as to cause the chil- dren to be put to bed, but they were nevertheless detectable de- partureS from normal health and as such serious community prob lem.
 Attitude Noted
 Impressive as were the improve ments that could be measured clin- ically, equally striking effects were noted in the attitude and behavior of the children. The supervisor of one of the schools noted that there was definite agreement that there had been real improvement in the attendance of the children who had been taking this supple ment. Many of these who had been absent frequently and had had many colds. showed considerable improvement during the three months. This was not true of similar students in the control group. Comments were obtained from the teachers on certain children who were problem. The general reac- ton was that thosae children who had poor dispositions. were quarrel some and disagreeable showed 8 distinct change for the better. Many mothers contacted the schools to say that their children ate better and were not as flissy, and one mother came to the school to tell personally how great an improve ment had taken place in her child who formerly was tired, lethargic and resisted going to bed and now had become Q model child.
 Two children suffering from the most acute vitar1in deficiencies ob- served in the group were daughters of the most prominent dairy farm CT in the district. Yet milk is an l important source cf vltamins. Upon investigation 1t was found they liked milk, but they arerely received 1t The money crop was sold even at the expense of the nutrition of the housaholdl