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85
The comparative rarity of finding a child with perfect teeth
to our schools, and the frequency with which small children have
to have large numbers of their temporary teeth extracted, is something
to be deplored, and becomes of even graver significance if it
is granted that it is because the child is wrongly fed that such decay
occurs. In the official Advisory Committee's report on Nutrition,
Published in 1937, the conclusion was come to that "all except a
relatively small fraction of the population are obtaining the full
amount of calories they require"—in other words only a small
fraction of the population show any signs of lack of quantity of food.
It is by no means only a relatively small fraction of the
population that shows evidence of malnutrition however, and
Rickets, Dental Caries, Tuberculosis, etc. are still rife in the population.
The Advisory Committee on Nutrition also show in their
Irtport that there is considerable under-consumptiori of some of the
essential food products, especially milk. At present, in several of
the distressed areas, experiments are being tried where nursing and
expectant mothers and pre school children can get milk at 2d. a
pint from their milkman on presentation of a voucher from the
Medical Officer of Health. In one of these areas, the consumption
of milk has gone up by 42%. Under a similar scheme in another
district, where the milk had to be fetched by the consumer from a
depot, there was very little response'and the result was disappointing.
It is recognised by all Health Authorities, that milk is an
essential food for the nursing and expectant mother and for young
children, and it is, after all, a food which Nature has provided for
the nourishment of the young at its most rapidly growing stage,
and it contains all the ingredients essential for growth and maintenance
Of life.—What would be spent irr making this commodity
cheaper to those sections of the community who so sorely need it,
might be saved in the expenditure necessary to correct deformities
and cure illnesses which need never have arisen.
The consumption of milk in our schools is not by any means
as great as it should be. In the Infant departments, as will be seen
from the accompanying Table, the consumption is fairly high, but
in the Junior and Senior schools the numbers fell lamentably. Milk
as considered to be a childish drink instead of being looked upon as
a necessary part of the diet of everyone.