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There can be no doubt that old men like myself, and men not so old, who
were brought up to rely on the high proportion of meat in our diet do feel it a
great disadvantage in these days when we cannot get the proportion of meat to which
we have been accustomed, but that does not mean to say meat is necessary in the
proportions we used to take it, and the health and well-being and the happiness
of the children of Barking is a direct challenge to the moaners and groaners who
talk as though we were on the very verge of starvation.
SCHOOL MEALS AND MILK
Question:—Do milk and meals at school benefit the health of the
children?
Answer:—So much is being done at this time to benefit the health of children
that it can only be a matter of opinion as to whether this or that item is of particular
benefit; but we have no intention of leaving this or that out in order to find out,
perhaps bitterly, whether we are right or wrong. My own opinion, and I express
it without any shadow of doubt whatsoever, is that school meals, and milk in schools,
have been one of our most praiseworthy efforts
and have contributed very largely indeed to
improving and maintaining the improvement,
of the health of our children.
What is more, these school meals are an
excellent safeguard, so that if at any time the national diet is likely to be lowered
in any particular commodity this item of diet can be boosted up at these meals.
I remember a friend of mine who is interested in dietary, and he chose fowls
for the subject of his experiments; he found that a very simple enquiry required
no less than thirteen different sets of experiments and I remember hearing about
this task when he was about half way through, and what struck me was that he
would never get the fowls to live long enough to make the whole experiment much
worth while. This illustrates how difficult it is to approach such a question with
meticulous scientific technique, but I still believe, as I have believed for many years,
that the sensible opinion of an informed person of experience has its place in the
world quite so important as that of the opinions of those who make a fetish of
figures and statistics from foundations which we find only too often are themselves
speculative.
Whilst, therefore, as a scientist I cannot prove that milk and meals are so
wonderful as I believe them to be, I have no doubt that my opinion is right.
DENTAL SERVICE
Question:—At what age should I first take my child to the Dentist?
Answer:—No toddler is too young to be taken to the dentist. If his teeth
require treatment, then the sooner the better; if on the other hand the teeth are
all right, then nothing is lost by a visit, for it will have been a good chance of making
friends with the dentist and starting off a habit of regular attendance.
We are well off in Barking in that our dentists are undoubtedly fond of children,
and have, in consequence, a knack of winning their confidence and trust. A visit
to "the man in a white coat" can often be a jolly, rollicking affair.
In schools where we are fortunate enough to have a Dental Clinic on the
premises the youngsters often come along and knock at the door for an appointment
themselves; although, of course, nothing is actually done without the parents'
consent.
Number of School meals
supplied during 1948
1,319,372
7