The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-04-28

questions or general interest
only, and then only through
his column.
judge that the larger the city, the
larger the proportion of pupils
who require this service. OF course,
in any city the proportion varies,
depending upon the location Of the
school, whether or not it is in a
residential neighborhood Of high
or low economic level.
The general movement fer school
lunches has grown and certainly
holds great possibilities, both i'm
mediate and future. A committee
of the American Medical Associa-
ton has recently released an Off
cial statement concerning this in
creasingly significant unit in the
American dietary.
In adapting the school lunch to
the needs of the child, one must
recognize and correct the principal
nutritional deficiencies most COM
monty found in American diets.
These are calcium, vitamin B, and,
in certain areas, iron, iodine and
several minor vitamins. Where
money is lacking for the purchase
of food in the home, or the ade-
quate provision of lunch for the
child, deficiency in all these es-
sentials may exist.
The food sources from which
these deficiencies can be made up
are: milk for calcium and vita
Minis; eggs for phosphorus and
iron; cheese for calcium and phos-
phorus; vegetables, fruits and
meats for many minerals, includ-
ing iron; whole grains and peas
and beans for vitamin B..
The proper feeding Of vast
multitude, whether in an army or
in a nation, constitutes an appall-
ing problem. Not only must suit
able diet be furnished, but the diff
culties of transportation and pres
ervation must be observed.
Future Values
The school lunch, as we'll as the
army food, has tremendous poten-
tialities for good, notonly because
it provides a balanced diet, but
also in the education Of the indi-
vidual: these children and soldiers
should have learned, for the bene-
fit Of their health and their future
families health. what completely
balanced, nutritious diet consists
Of.
Besides this, there is a possibil-
ity for emphasizing the impor-
lance of taking time to eat. A few
years ago the Harvard University
Memorial Hall was forced to close
its kitchens because the students,
too impatient to sit, preferred to
take their hamburgers and choco-
late malts on one foot with the
other on the rail.
The possibilities for good Of
school lunches are so important
that the management of all the
cafeterias in all the public schools
should be placed in the hands Of q
single director.
Certainly the sale Of undesirable
foods, such as candy and tonics, in
the cafeteria or on the school
premises should be stopped. In
order to sidestep this particular
problem, the school children should
not be allowed to leave the school
premises during the lunch hour
and no one should be allowed to
bootleg candy or other foods to
them.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
S.:-"Will daily contact with
dry graphite be likely to cause
lung injury"
Answer: Yes, it may cause .
condition known as silicosiS.
NJ. L.. H.: | have heard that rhu-
barb was hard on the kidneys. Is
this true?
Answer: On the contrary, rhu-
barb has no especial effect on the
kidneys whatever; like most vege-
tables, it tends TO make the urine
alkaline and to this extent is good
rather than bad.
L. B. W: Is phenobarbital habit
forming and is it injurious for one
TO take it for a length of time?
Answer: The opinion of the
medical profession is not unani-
nous on this. Any drug which 10
as powerful an hypnotic as pheno-
barbital is bound TO be habit form
ing in people with al unstable
nervous system. In the sense that
abstinence from its use produces
serious withdrawal symptoms, it is
not habit forming. / have known
people to take it for a long time
without forming a habit or with
out it's doing them any harm. On
the other hand, | have known many
cases Of habit formation. 1t may
cause skin rashes and partial,
temporary dimness Of vision.
ppear TO me to be as non-partisan
political campaign as it's adver-
t~aI