NERAL Ct N1-17..RNCE AKOMA PA WAS i+ WHY GIRLS SHOULD NOT SMOKE By Daniel H. Kress, M.D. of the cleverly written, misleading, and untruthful advertisements of the various tobacco concerns. De- ploring this, one editor, in a publi- cation devoted to music and drama, said: "I wonder if some artists are not going too far in yarawalla testimonial writing." Of a tenor, The finer touches in art cannot be given by those who are addicted to tobacco. whose name was attacked to two rival cigarettes, he said: "Each 14 HERE exists a craze among should do a little thinking before testimonial signed by this man was girls and young women to reduce, reaching for either a cigarette or so eloquent and extreme that you and maintain a slim and trim fig- a sweet. If they study into the wonder how he could endure an- ure. Tobacco companies have problem, one thing is certain, they other brand." This artist, like taken advantage of this in ad- will not reach for the cigarette. many of his colleagues of high mad vertising their favourite products. They may or they may not reach low degree, sold his name and The mode of advertising has been for the sweet instead. There is prestige for the sake of advertising. a success, for thousands of no objection to an occasional The editor said further, "I know thoughtless young women and in- sweet, since a sweet is a food. It of some endorsers of cigarettes nocent girls have, as a result, be- is not the most wholesome food who have never smoked in all came slaves to a habit which is and, therefore, should be used their lives." To give some idea ruinous to the complexion, ruin- sparingly. The craving for sweets of how these endorsements are ob- ous to health, and in some in- is, however, a natural and a nor- tained, I would refer to what hap- stances ruinous to morals. The mal one. Nature provides sweets pened just recently. Sonja Henie, purpose of tobacco companies is, liberally in fruits in a form that the world's champion figure skater, as far as possible, to place a cig- is both wholesome and beneficial, was approached by publicity arette between the lips of every sweets which are superior to any agents for her endorsement of a girl. Cleverly written articles by that are served at a soda fountain certain cigarette. Hs said, "You experts have appeared in the lead- or in sweet shops. These may he don't have to put one in your ing journals and newspapers call- partaken of freely. The free use mouth, but we will publish your ing attention to the benefits sup- of fresh fruits is one of the best picture and give you $ 2,500," to posed to he derived from the use and safest means of reducing which she replied, "I don't smoke. of certain brands of cigarettes. weight. It is also one of the best I won't take your $ 2,500. I am ashamed of women who smoke." Roger Babson, the famous stat- means of developing and main- istician, evidently deplores this. taining a clear complexion. My The claim is made that the cig- Recently he said, "When the advice to the girl who has an am- arette soothes the nerves. It is country's keenest minds are using bition to be slim and trim and a true that temporarily the cigarette the newspapers, magazines, mov- desire to keep a clean skin, pure is a soother of the nerves of nerv- ies, and radios to entice youth to blood, and a healthy body is, when ous women, but eventually it ag- drink whisky, smoke more cig- tempted to reach for a cigarette, gravates the very condition it tem- arettes, and make heroes of crim- to reach for an orange instead. porarily palliates. In time it ruins inals, those youth should have the Other acid and sub-acid fruits the nervous system. other side of the argument from will serve the same purpose and, It is a serious thing for boys and someone." if used freely, will lessen the crav- young men to become addicts to ing for cigarettes. No one is better able to give this the cigarette, but it is worse for a information than the physician Smoking has become common girl or young woman to form this who has to deal with the finished among girls and young women habit. Girls of today are our fu- product. When tempted, girls the past few years, chiefly because (Continued on page 26) 2 THE ORIENTAL WATCHMAN WEAPON for WAR, PROBLEM for PEACE By R. M. Wilder, M.D. P. P. A. War work gives him a keen appetite for the staff of life. DIET DEFICIENCY THE dictators "secret weapon" deficiences, they became perfectly William's and my direction since may be the taking away of vitamin manageable and effective. This is July 1939, I am personally con- B1, or thiamine, from the diet of a story received from Canadian vinced that insufficiency of vita- the conquered countries. A little medical circles, and I have reason min B1 (thiamine) is a principal thiamine deficiency is associated to believe it is true. cause for the majority of the nerv- with irritability, but much or long- It is my personal opinion that ous and mental abnormalities that continued deficiency is more likely there is a relationship between in- are associated with, or responsible to result in depression, exhaustion, dustrial unrest and deficiency of for, the psychological state com- and feelings of inferiority. We vitamin B1 (thiamine). One of monly spoken of as loss of morale. have good information that the the symptoms of thiamine defi- Some of these experimental obser- dictators are making fullest use of ciency is irritability and lack of vations have already been reported the newest knowledge of nutrition willingness to co-operate. I sus- in the Archives of Internal Medi- in the prosecution of this war, par- pect that many industrial workers cine. ticularly in reference to the ex- are led to make unreasonable de- When women who have been cellence of the nutrition of their mands because of the inadequacy apparently normal emotionally are armed forces. Rumour has it that of this particular vitamin in the subjected to a diet adequate in all they are making deliberate use of diet. I also suspect that many other respects but very low in thiamine starvation to reduce the middle-aged industrialists, getting thiamine, within two or three populations of the occupied coun- paunchy and trying to keep down weeks they develop mental symp- tries to a state of depression and their weight, unconsciously re- toms which become progressively mental weakness and despair, strict their diets in such a way as more serious as the duration of which will make them easier to to fail to get enough of this vita- the restriction continues. These hold in subjection. min, and, consequently, become symptoms consist of inability to An example of the result of diet hyper-irritable. The result is that concentrate, uncertain memory, deficiency is found in the experi- two groups of people, both of awkwardness, self-consciousness, ence of some Canadian soldiers, them in abnormally irritable men- progressive feelings of inferiority, who enlisted from relief rolls. tal states, are trying to deal with irritability, depression, and anxiety. Some were defiant, while others each other. Cheerful, co-operative individuals were depressed to the point where As a result of experiments that become morose and unwilling to they seemed useless to the army. have been going on in the nutri- perform their ordinary tasks or to It is reported that later, after satis- tional laboratories of the Mayo work with others. factory attention to nutritional Clinic, U. S. A., under Dr. Ray When these symptoms have MAY 1942 3 been produced rapidly by severe tities of beans and peas, and do I have been emphasizing thi- restriction of thiamine, where the not know about the value of soy- amine because I know whereof I subject receives not more than one beans as a source of thiamine. speak when I talk of thiamine and sixth to one tenth of a day's re- They depend on plain white flour mental disorders. We have less quirement of this vitamin daily, more than other people do be- certain information about the re- and if these symptoms have not cause it is cheap, and thus they are lation of deficiency of other vita- lasted longer than two or three very apt to get too little thiamine. mins to mental disorders. With months, they can promptly be cor- They could get enough, even using more knowledge we may come to plain white bread, if they would rected by restoring to the diet an appreciate that the lack of other optimal amount of thiamine. On eat large amounts of oatmeal, and vitamins is as important as the the other hand, where the experi- use not less than six ounces a day lack of thiamine for mental dis- ment has been continued six of either beans, peas, soybeans, or months or more and the restriction peanuts. The easier way is to put orders. In the meantime, pru- of thiamine has been less severe, thiamine back into bread, of dence dictates that we should not and the development of symptoms which the poor people eat a great only look to the adequacy of RI has been slower, the effect of treat- deal; and that is the step that has (thiamine), but also to the ade- ment from administering thiamine been taken.