THE BREAD OF LIFE

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21449, 15 April 1935, Page 18

THE BREAD OF LIFE

TO TAB KDITOB Of tHI PH333. Sir,—The name pellagra is derived from the Italian pelle, iough skin. It is a skin disease characterised by dry or scaly skin, but the most important symptoms are in the digestive and nervous system, which lead to much mental depression and other troubles. Pellagra occurs chiefly in Italy, where the peasants live on poor diets, but in recent years it has become fairly common in the southern siates of America. At one time it was thought that this disease was due to an infection, but it has been definitely settled that it is due to a poor diet, and it has been produced experimentally in this way. Twenty years ago 12 convicts of Mississippi gaol, of whom were murderers, risked their live.; in the interests of medical science in order to enable Dr. Joseph Goldberger to prove his theory that this trouble is directly due to the consumption of food lacking in the life-giving elements called minerals and vitamins. The victims of this well-known Mississippi gaol experiment were fed on demineralised or refined foods, tinned vegetables, coffee, white bread, white biscuits, margarine, and dried beef.

Several of the convicts attempted suicide during the test. Two of them, G. R. James and D. W. Pitts, made formal application to be sent back to prison in order that they might serve their life term in preference to continuing the sufferings. After six of them had developed pellagra and two others had shown definite symptoms oi' the disease, the governor pardoned them all.

Much of the food we eat from day to day is robbed of its vital elements. That we do not develop the same conditions as those 12 convicts is due solely to the fact, that some of the food we cat—fruit, vegetables, egffs, milk, butter —arc not refined and demineralised. Ignorance of the fundamental natural laws of living causes millions to go through life only half alive.—Yours, etc., M. April 13, 1935. TO TUB £DITOB OF TIIE PRESS. Sir, —The controversy raised in the press by the action of the Auckland teacher in asking his pupils to step bringing cake and white bread for their play lunches, has been interesting, and it is a pity greater interest has not been shown; but the public are usually apathetic in matters which concern their health. There is not the slightest doubt that the dentists are right in upholding the

use of wholemeal bread as an aid to preserving the teeth, and the teacher was right in acting in the best interests of the children's health, although the parents probably did not know it, and may even have resented his "interference," in their ignorance. Wholemeal bread contains minerals which

.at esitiuial lor puilding solid bones and good teeth, and when well made has a sweeter, nuttier flavour than white bread, and there are few. if any. people who cannot eat it. Ordinary brown bread is little better than white, though it may have slightly more flavour, and is lacking in the same mineral elements as white. My personal opinion is that the spongy stuff sold as white bread by many modern bakers is not worth eatmg, and anyone buving it is wasting his money so far as food value is concerned. There are probably many reasons why the millers and bakers do not favour wholemeal and its products, but it is a fact that wholemeal will not keep good so long as white flour, due to the oil contained in the wheat germ, which goes rancid after a short time, and spoils the flour, which therefore cannot be stored for long periods. Then, too, wholemeal will not make such a big, puffy mass of wind in the form of a loaf as white flour.

In support of the New Zealand dentists. I give the following diet, compiled by the Indiana University Dental College, as tending towards the preservation of the teeth: Wholemeal bread, brown or wholemeal cereal, juice of two oranges a day (a very necessary fruit for children) or a tin of tomatoes, or stewed dried peaches, other raw fruit in liberal quantity, potatoes, preferably baked, once n day, about five ounces of meat a day, one pint to one quart of milk a day (for each person), liberal quantities of raw vegetable salad, no sweets or chocolates, and very little pastry. As a last word, if anyone wants flavour and food value, I can recommend wholemeal as against white bread, and also wholemeal scones, shortbread, etc. —Yours, etc., H. S. ROBINSON. April 13. 1035.