The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-11-28
Your Health By pr. William Brady

Slened letters pertaining 70 per-
 s0nal health and hygiene, not 70
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 De made to queries not conform
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 William Brady, National News
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 Street. Chicago. ILL
 DEBUNKING NEEDS DEBUNk1NG
 Nutrition scientists have deter mined within broad limits the amounts of each vitamin and min eraI needed in the daily diet to maintain optimum health, says an Illuminating editorial on 'Medi- cine Men of the Air. in The New Republic, oct. B, "A. It IS known. the editorial continues, that ample amounts of all these essen tals are contained in the average. well balanced diet which includes daily servings of meat and pota- toes, vegetables, eggs, milk, salads and desserts. Except in conditions of extreme poverty and in certain restricted geographic areas where diets commonly overemphasize one or two foods, many nutritionists believe it would be difficult Tor the man or woman in ordinary good health to fail to get the requisite amounts of vitamin. :"
 am tired of hearing that vague generality reiterated by haf-in- formed and misinformed people wherever and whenever the Ques- tion of vitamins in nutrition arises. It began, believe, when the head publicity man of the best advert1s- ed "clinic" in the country broke in to innumerable magazines, popular and medical. about fifteen years ago. with a characteristic blast at the "vitamin craze" it seemed that eminent specialists - you know, physicians whose patients are of the upper classes-saw very few cases in a year in which they suspected any vitamin deficiency. But no phy- sician today would have the temer- ity to make such statement. Every physician who is at all conversant with the newer knowledge of nuti- ton knows better now.
 If such a well balanced" (what- ever that hokum means) diet as the editorial mentions will supply adequate amounts of vitamins to keep one in good health, why does the Food and Nutrition Committee of the National Research Council advocate the practice of "enriching" flour and bread with vitamins? And why do health authorities ap- prove of the practice of enrich ing" milk with vitanin D? And why does the federal government and most state governments approve Of the practice of ''enriching' or doc- toring oleomargarine with vitamin A? Is all of this "doctoring" of foods or food products justified when any one can get all the vita mins he needs from a reasonably varied diet such as the New Repub- lie editorial mentions?
 A "crack patent lawyer" defend- ing a University research founda- tion' charged by the federal gov- ernment with consipring with IS companies to suppress competition in the manufacture and sale of vi- tamin D, exclaimed You can't use 1t (vitamin D) in everything and you can't cure flat feet with vita- min D."
 Of course the patient lawyer is not physician and he would hard- ly quality as an expert witness in regard to what vitamin D will or will not cure. I believe vitamin D cures flat feet in many instances, and I am certain that it prevents flat feet in many more instances. Naturally the patent lawyer would not know, but vitamin D is the specific preventative and cure for rickets, and weak ankles, pronated feet and flat feet in growing chil- dren are a common manifestation of rickets.
 When it comes to getting enough, vitamin D from a well balanced" diet, If you ask me think it is practically impossible.