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54
Nutrition.
Reference was made in last year's report to the assistance that it would
be to those engaged in Public Health and Social Welfare work if an authoritative
estimate of the minimum cost of adequate dietries for men, women and
children of various ages, were prepared and published for official guidance.
In November, 1933, the Committee on Nutrition, appointed by the British
Medical Association, issued its report and it appeared at first that such
guidance was available. In January, 1934, however, the Ministry of Health
issued a Circular (Nutrition 1370) dealing specifically with the report of the
British Medical Association Committee and as a result it is not possible to
quote the British Medical Association scale as having official sanction.
In a Borough such as this where many families are living under economic
conditions that make it a nice point whether there is, or is not, enough money
available for buying food, an official scale of the kind here considered would
be of great value in determining action to be taken or advised regarding a
variety of matters affecting health. From the tables on page 7 it will be
seen that the number both of the unemployed and of those in receipt of public
assistance fell during the year. Unfortunately, however, there is evidence
of a downward tendency in the wages of those in work. Possibly for this
reason, possibly because of the time lag during which the effect of inadequate
diet makes itself apparent, possibly also because of increased interest in
this subject, more cases of suspected under nourishment were brought to
notice than during the preceeding year.
Much has been written upon the difficulty of speaking of under nourishment
in the absence of agreed clinical criteria, but the matter is of such
fundamental importance to health that while fully recognizing this difficulty,
it seems fitting in this report to place on record the impression that there has
been a deterioration in the standard of nutrition amongst the families of the
poorer members of the population, and that in these families the mothers have
been the greatest sufferers.
Throughout the year Talks upon diets and wise buying were continued
at the Welfare Centre and were listend to with great interest.
We have to thank Miss Hall Smith, who has taken a special course of
training in Dietetics, for voluntary assistance in connection with this part
of our work. Miss Smith commenced working in this Department in April
and has since come once, and more recently, twice, weekly, to advise upon
the diets of cases specially referred from the Welfare and Ante-Natal Centres.
Transfer of Powers (London) Order, 1933.
This Order, which became operative on the 1st April, 1933, contains
provision among other matters, for the transfer to the Borough Council of
certain functions hitherto exercised by the London County Council,