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In 1946 Sir Edward Mellanby—then Secretary of the Medical Research
Council—published the results of experiments in which he showed that
growing dogs fed on bread made from agenised flour developed hysteria,
and that the fits ceased when the dogs were fed with untreated flour. Later
experiments showed that agenised flour produced harmful effects in such
animals as monkeys, rabbits and ferrets.
In 1949 the use of agene as an "improver" was banned in America.
In this country a special committee to consider the matter was set up by the
Ministries of Food and Health, the Medical Research Council and the milling
industry. Some four years ago our Government decided to ban agene
"when an alternative improver is found", but for some reason or other the
changeover to the alternative has not yet taken place.
In 1950 a Committee under the chairmanship of Sir Wilson Jameson
was unable to find evidence that agenised flour was in any way toxic to man;
but the man in the street is left to wonder why he should have to feed his
growing child on bread which has been proved to be harmful to growing
dogs.
Statement by Minister of Food.
On 21st December, 1954—in response to a question asked in the House
of Commons—the Minister of Food made this statement regarding the
report of the Committee set up in 1950 under the chairmanship of the Chief
Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health.
''The methods of flour improvement which have been examined are agene,
chlorine dioxide, potassium bromate, ascorbic acid and an aeration process.
"The experiments have confirmed that agene-treated flour, when fed in
large quantities, causes fits in dogs and have shown that none of the other
improvers tested does the same. Since other methods of flour improvement
exist which have not produced these symptoms in animals, the Government are
of the opinion that, although no ill-effects in man due to the use of agenised flour
have been established, effect should now be given to the decision taken in 1950
to discontinue agene.
"In view of this decision, the National Association of British and Irish
Millers have agreed to recommend their members to discontinue the use of
agene and to give an undertaking that the equipment for treating flour in this
way will be removed from their mills by the 31st December, 1955. Some delay
is inevitable because new equipment has to be obtained to treat flour by other
means. The National Association of Flour Importers have similarly agreed to
recommend their members to ensure that no flour treated with agene will be
imported by them.
"The further investigations undertaken by the Medical Research Council
have revealed some differences between the effects on flour of the other methods of
improvement, but the effects demonstrated are not sufficient to require the
discontinuance of any of the other four improving processes. These methods of
flour improvement will continue to be kept under close scrutiny in collaboration
with the milling and baking industries.''
THE WATER WE DRINK
Its Source.
In days gone by all towns had to take their water supply from rivers
and streams which had also to act as sewers ; but most have abandoned that
method long ago in favour of a piped water supply from a dammed-up valley,
in some cases a long way off. London still gets its water supply from the
Rivers Thames and Lea, and the Metropolitan Water Board has developed