VISIT TO JAPAN

Evening Star, Issue 19583, 15 June 1927, Page 10

VISIT TO JAPAN

« ‘O" 1 ' MRS BENSON'S IMPRESSIONS At the meeting of the Otago Institute last evening Mis Benson, wife of Professor Benson, of Otago Univeisit„, gave a brief account of the work done in the hvgiene section of the third i a - Pacific Science Congress which was fie .cl in Japan last year. Mrs Benson accompanied her husband to that groat gathering of scientists, both beni-, amongst the official New Zealand dcleg Mrs Benson said that the work o! the hygiene section was largely given over to the study of the diseases that ravaged Japan and China, most ot these being duo to the lark of sanitation. Everywhere one wont in those countries one saw evidences of the ravages of smallpox and other dire afflictions. In area Japan was roughly the size ot New Zealand, but instead ol a population of a million and a-quartcr, there was one of fifty-six millions, and the problem of supplying them with adequate and proper food was one nr increasing difficulty Except in the northorn island very little land could bo spared for pasturage, and during the whole time she was in the country she bad not seen one- sheep. The Japanese 1 Year Book ’ disclosed the fact that there were only 15,000 sheep in the whole country—about the number that would be found on a decent-sized run in the dominion. Owing to the lack ot pasturing land, and also because ot ieligious scruples, no meal, butler, milk or cheese figured in the dietary. I'isl; was tho staple food, most of which was purchased alive out of big tank?. Jhe dried fish had a very repulsive smell when it was being cooked, ami airs Benson said that she had been forced to leave several homes when the lisii was put on to cook. „ . Rice was the mostimportant ol the vegetable foods, and in recent years it had not been possible to grow sufficient to meet the needs of the count n. leas and beans, particularly the Jailer, a iso figured in the dietary. Green \cgetables were used, and root vegetables were plentiful. Emits were still a comparative luxury, a- 1 were practically not eaten by the poorer peasants, benweed was eaten by all, except by foreigners. , . , In recent years there had been o rovolutipnary change in the diet, ns unpolished rice was now discarded altogether. It had been shown that when the rice was polished and washed it lost most of its nutritive qualities. As the result of tho changed diet tuberculosis, a disease resembling berri-berri. various skin diseases, ami other troubles were very prevalent, and she bad noticed great numbers of children disfigured by sores. A bio-chemical laboratory was devoted to the studv of this problem, and as a result a nutrition society was formed with the object of introducing a more balanced diet. An attempt was being made to overcome the religious prejudice to the eating of annual, foods, ■ and the Government was taking np the l matter of the raising of stock. Parallel ! with tins, efforts wore being made to eradicate the dwarf bamboo, which was I as great a pest ns "blackberry was in the dominion i At the conclusion of her address Airs I Benson showed a number of slides deI picting tho social life of the people, i and also several artistic scenic pictiucs.