PREVENTING GOITRE

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 239, 4 July 1940, Page 6

PREVENTING GOITRE

Use Of lodine-rich Foods Urged

Dominion Special Service. I’AIAIERSTON N., July 3.

Au interesting lecture on goitre and its prevention by the use of iodine was given by Miss E. M. Wrighr, of Feilding Agricultural High School, to members of the Manawatu branch of the Women Teachers’ Association. An

exhibition of dried seaweeds and preparations from seaweed illustrated I lie speaker’s remarks.

If the women of New Zealand did not tackle the problem of goitre we were in danger of developing st race of cretins. Miss 'Wright said. Goitre was caused by lack of iodine, and tn New Zealand lambs and trout suffered from it, and 61 per cent, of the children. In Japan only one in 1,000,000 bad goitre, the people living largely on fish and seaweeds. Goitre hardly ever occurred in the Scots, English and Irish, who ate plenty of fish, but in New Zealand fish was too expensive for general consumption. Before the advent of Europeans, the Maoris did not suffer from goitre as they ate plenty of fish and seaweeds. Rivers carried the iodine from the land into the sea and consequently sea-water was rich iu iodine. The basis of blood

was similar Io sea-water, with certain minerals, and much disease was caused through lack of these minerals. lodine was one of the necessary minerals, and if tlie soil were rich in iodine everything that came from it was also rich in iodine. lodine could bo given to the soil with various manures. Water in which vegetables were cooked should not lie thrown away; it could lie taken as soup with milk or used for gravy and sauce. The women should lie‘concerned with preventing goitre, and this could be done by eating iodine-rich foods; first, all sea fish, particularly green bone or butterfish, yellow-eyed mullet, blue cod and oysters. Miss Wright had samples of New Zealand seaweed procurable and also tlie Japanese edible seaweed, and gave recipes for using it. Even when it had served its purpose for jelly the seaweed could be thrown on the. parsley bed to extract the last of tlie iodine, she said. A handful of Irish moss could bo thrown into soup and

stock. Other foods were eggs, whole cereals, green vegetables (specially raw) and liver. Of the green vegetables, asparagus and spinach were the richest in iodine, and if finely cut up could bo mingled raw in any salad. All must have green vegetables every day, and some at least raw. Manuring the’garden with seaweed would ensure vegetables being rich in iodine. A brief discussion on the subject was held. Miss E. Gills thanked Miss XVright for her talk, and explained the objects of the Food Value League and its activities.