Food Manufacture
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FOOD MANUFACTURE Vol. XXI, No. 2 February 1, 1946 Malnutrition ? value?” In the light of the M.O.F.’s publicity GAIN the cudgels are being taken up to com given to dried egg, and of that supreme value in Abat those nutrition experts who maintain that protein and vitamin emphasised in research pub we are none the worse for our war-time diet. Dr. lications of the Society of Chemical Industry, the Franklin Bicknell of Wimpole Street maintains dietitians concerned must indeed have had a that mass irritation and strikes are consequences biased view—or a bad breakfast. Other points of malnutrition, and that the whole nation is inviting reply are Sir Philip Joubert’s emphasis on undernourished. But the most vigorous of all who our need for cane sugar (“ more cane sugaT,” he break a lance or cross a nib in the attack is Air repeats), this despite the absolute proof chemically Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert. As a more and nutritionally that cane and beet sugar are powerful version of those words in Nebuchadnez identical; and the quotation from a recent speech of zar: “ It may be wholesome, but it is not good,” an L.C.C. school medical officer : “ With regard to or perhaps of Lord Horder’s dictum that “ so vitamin C we have been reduced to almost eigh primitive a thing as eating and drinking was never teenth-century plight.” The latter makes strange intended to be made the subject of a chemical reading in view of distribution of orange juice and equation,” Sir Philip, in a full-blooded contribution black currant syrup, and of the maintenance of to The Observer (January 13, 1946), goes straight potato supplies in difficult years. Our rations have into the attack against “ modern nutritional certainly been monotonous and austere in*'their science.” “Are We as Fit as They Tell Us?” is starchy predominance. But for an island nation so the title; Sir Philip thinks not. exposed in dangerous years, for a nation suffering The gallant author has earned our gratitude for heavy shipping losses yet ready to make sacrifices prowess in his own field; but on land away from his to less favoured nations with the coming of peace, airfields, food experts will hardly believe him to be we have come through rather well, thanks to those on terra firma. A man is as fit as he feels, he tells food authorities now facing the firing squad. us, and not as fit as the Civil Servant tells him he is. Yet this statement must be considered along with the fact that high medical authorities have Instinctive Therapy held that general health has suffered little if any For many years P unch’s famous advice to those thing. From the logical point of view, Sir Philip’s about to marry (“ Don’t!”) was quoted whenever “ extensive experience of men’s messing in Army marriage was discussed. For a similar period any and R.A.F.” is not necessarily of use in the mention of the A theneu m was accompanied by the different environment of varying civilian commu quotation “ Golly! What a paper!” from “ The nities. Wrong Box,” B. L. Stevenson’s one humorous Sir Philip’s complaints regarding shipping poli story. cies, like the importing of dried egg rather than A current one is Marie Lloyd’s “ A little of what more bulky poultry food, or “ our failure to ship you fancy does you good.” It seems to possess an the citrus and other fruits,” must surely be judged irresistible attraction for a large number of writers by shipping authorities which decided, as Mr. on nutrition. We ourselves have used it more than Churchill stressed, that shipping space was not once, but have since resolutely put it “ on the available in the crucial years. In d ex .” To the Air Marshal’s attack (reaching Spitfire An article in a recent issue of the Daily■ M ail intensity!) on dried egg—“ that revolting sub starts with it, while a leader writer in no less a stance smelling of mould and sulphur ”—we can pontifical journal than the B.M.J. (December 8, only suggest that stores or canteens in the Forces 1945) actually uses it as a caption. should observe that first rule of warfare—keep the How Marie, that mistress of the double-en powder dry. And who are the Government dieti tendre, must chortle! Perchance her companions tians who maintained that eggs “ have a low food in the Shades—old Epicurus, Theognis, and some February, 1946 45 M of the later arrivals interested in food, such as A problem that had to be overcome in incor Prior, William King (if they can read our papers), porating penicillin in a food product is that it is might turn with puzzlement to Marie, and Marie, extraordinarily bitter. Ice cream was found to be with her unforgettably innocent look, would say, the most suitable medium for conveying penicillin “ Lor’ lummy, dearies, did I mean eats?” to the patient. (The normal sugar content of '■ The leader with Marie’s caption records the re American ice cream is 15 per cent., compared with sults of experiments recently published (Richter, a pre-war 13-5 per cent, in this country.) Peni C. P., Schmidt, C. H. Junr., Malone, P. D., B ull. cillin also retains its potency when kept in a chilled Johns Hopk. Hosp., 1945, 76, 192) ap p aren tly condition. demonstrating the reliability of the rat’s appetite In the preparation of penicillin ice cream, ordi as a guide to its dietary needs. Offered an appro nary ice cream is allowed to become soft and the priate choice, rats, after pancreatectomy, select for penicillin is then added. After being thoroughly themselves small amounts of carbohydrate, thus mixed and poured into paper cups the product is avoiding a high blood sugar, polyuria, and poly re-frozen. The medicinal dose administered in dipsia. The increased amounts of vitamin B allow ice cream varies from ‘2,000 to 25,000 units of peni them to make better use of carbohydrate and pro cillin according to the severity of the case. Severe tein and the greater intake of fat and protein cases of streptococcus infection are stated to have eliminates the need for polyphagia. Their activity been cured after ten doses of penicillin ice cream. is maintained by the fat. From these experiments a case appears to be made out for investigating the effect on human diabetes of a diet rich in fat, protein, and vitamin Criticism of the Sugar Beet Industry B. It has been previously observed that diabetic In his address to the shareholders of the British patients, before diagnosis, instinctively select a Sugar Corporation, Ltd., Lt.-Colonel Sir Francis high-fat diet; it now seems less likely that this Humphreys gave some interesting details of the in high-fat intake predisposed to diabetes and more dustry and referred to the fact that it had been likely that it was instinctive therapy. criticised, even during the war, on the ground that Further research will doubtless indicate the the Exchequer has had to pay an excessive price validity of this theory, but there comes the thought for growing sugar beet at home. During the years that, even in peace-time, the average person from 1939-40 to 1944-45 the Exchequer has paid out wherever he may be must eat what he can get and £23,281,000 in assistance to the home-grown sugar not what he prefers. There will doubtless be many industry. On the other hand, the Excise duty from divergences from the rule, as in the case of the home-grown sugar which has accrued to the Ex Old Man of Kilkenny chequer during the same period is £45,287,000, and Who never had more than a penny; it seems clear that very little, if any, of this sum He spent all that money would have found its way into the coffers of the On onions and honey, State if there had been no beet sugar industry in this country, since it is difficult to see how addi That wayward Old Man of Kilkenny. tional imports of sugar could have been shipped And possibly there should not be ignored the from abroad during the war. attitude of the little girl who, on being told of the Another criticism that is sometimes levelled at demise of a young friend after copious ingestion of the industry is that it has brought bankruptcy to hot plum pudding on top of ice cream, exclaimed, our West Indian colonies. No accusation could be 41 Gosh, what a jolly death !” more baseless. In fact, the United Kingdom has contracted for many years for the whole of the West Indian sugar crop that can be spared. Penicillin Ice Cream During the twenty years immediately preceding A method of incorporating penicillin in ice cream the outbreak of the war in 1939, while the home for administration to the patient through the grown sugar industry was being developed, imports mouth instead of by hypodermic injection has been of sugar from the British Empire actually in evolved by the United States Naval Training creased threefold, while imports from foreign Centre for Sanitation and Preventive Medicine at countries showed a substantial decline. We must San Diego, California. face the fact that if production of sugar in this The process is the outcome of seven months of country were to cease today the resulting deficit research and is attracting considerable attention would have to be made up by imports from dollar in this country.