WOMAN’S WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 253, 20 July 1921, Page 2

WOMAN’S WORLD.

MATTERS OF INTEREST FROM FAR AND NEAR.

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Im ogen.)

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL Sir Edwin and Lady Mitohelson left last Friday on their return to Auckland. Miss Faris (Christchurch) is visiting her brother, Dr. Faris, ami Mrs. Faris. Sir George Cliffoi-d and Miss June Clifford have returned .to Christchurah from Wallington. Mrs. Aubrey Barclay and her children left on Monday for their home in Sydney. Mrs. Barclay has spent several months in New Zealand, visiting her parents, Sir Edward and Lady Gibbes, Captain and Miss Barclay, and other relatives. A London correspondent, writing under date of June 3, elates that Mrs. Massey attended the opening of a nurses' home at tho well-known Mothers’ Hospital, maintained at Clapham by the Salvation Army. The opening: ceremony was performed by th<j Queen. It was an event of very exceptional interest in.connection with the benevolent purposes of the Army, for at this moment some 440 delegates, representing thirty of tho British Dominions and Allied nations, were in London for a conference upon social work, and tho occasion afforded them the opportunity that they hod desired of coming into the presence of Her Majesty. Very rarely is there in tho metropolis an assemblage so diverse as that which met under a huge marquee at tho back of tho building, and the Queen was most obviously interested in it. Outside, whore tho shops and houses were gaily beflagged in honour of the Royal visit, a huge crowd gave a hearty welcome to the Queen. From tho outset it was a picturesque and exceptional ceremony. Within tho tent itself a distinguished company had assembled, and on the platform were the American Ambassador, who was at once recognised, and cordially greeted, the Marchioness of Lincolnshire, the Bishop of Stepney, and Sir William Treloar. Others present were:—The Countess of Seafield, Florence Lady Garvagh, Sir Edward and Lady Cooper, the Mayor and Mayoress of Stepney, the Dowager Lady O’Hagan, Sir James and Lady Cantile, Sir William and Lady Barrett, and many more. The flag of the Army was spread over the dais, and those of the countries in which the work is carried on were displayed. Tho ceremony itself was quite brief, and afterwards the visitors were shown over the home and hospital. Mrs. Massey, who is greatly interested in tho work, was able to obtain a considerable amount of information which may be of some use In similar work in the Dominion. She was struck with the sympathetic interest displayed by Her Majesty the whose inquiries, she says, seemed to be from the point of view of a mother rather than from that of Queen. To expectant wothem 'food waa h. most important subject, Dr. Hardwick© Smith told his hearers at a lec tu T? he gave in the Red Cross Hall, in Dixon Street. A diet in which meat largely figured was detrimental both to the. mother’s health and to the health of the child she hoped to bear. Many experiments had been made in this nectlon and the general decision arrived at was’ that a meat diet was harmful at this time. Much had been said of the care of the baby after it was born, but little of the ante-natal period. In Germany, during tho war, diseases of many kinds had increased, but one had decreased, and that was eclampsia among women, duo, so authorities considered, to the lack of a meat diet. Fruit, vegetables, cereals, and the lighter foods, were what she should take at this time.

Mr. and Mrs. W. Askin Tate and daughter are, says our Greytown correspondent, about to pay a visit to Colonel Tate, the Administrator of Samoa. They expect to be away about seven weeks.

Appendicitis and Food. In the course of his lecture upon food values and vitamines, Dr. Hardwicke Smith said that ajspendicilis was almost unknown among non-meat-eating native races, and appendicitis among children might be very largely avoided if parents only studied their diet. In many cases where he had operated upon children for that, cause he had found that meat had figured far too largely in their diet. When they were given it in excess of their age they became highly strung, excitable, and often irritable. Vvith a wrong diet health could be wrecked for life. Later on, when questions were asked, Dr. Hardwicks Smith said lie would not give a child meat until it was four years of ago, and ho would prefer not to give it meat until it was eight, nine, or ten years of ago, and then only once a day. - c. Mies Jean Macleod, pupil of bt. Joseph’s Convent School, Otaki, has been successful in winning the gold medal for commercial work, awarded by the National Business College, of bjdn’fhe Misses O’Neill, of Wanganui, return to Wanganui this morning. Mrs P O’Neill, who has been in Wellington for race week, will return to Wanganui this morning. In the course of his lecture «P°“ f°° d values last evening, ’Dr. Hardwicke Smith told his hearers how to cook porridge so as to get the greatest nutritive value. Oatmeal that had gone through as little milling as possible lie a<ivlse * i - The quantity used was to be left saa ’ in cold water all night (for about twelve hours) and then boiled for about a quarter of an hour. Doing it in this way it retained its nutritive qualities. One way of cooking fish (for instance u role) was to put it between two plates with butter, milk, salt, etc., and place ,it over a saucepan of boiling water so that it was steamed. A sauce was made with the milk in which the fish had cooked, and in doing it in this way all the nutntno value of the food was retained. I ried fish was anathema to the lecturer. Boy Scouts in the Pyrenees.

Tho first English Boy Scouts to visit the Pyrenees return to their 'homes in Leeds on Saturday, states the "Manchesf ter Guardian” of May 17. During their fortnight's tour they have lived partly under canvas (in spite of the heavy rains) and partly in barns, and have trekked some 35 miles, including at least two climbs to a height of over 5000 feet. Those fourteen boys, whoso ages range from 13 to 18, come from t-he Leeds Modern School, and under the guidance of two masters, Messrs. Morton and Berry, have made the tour as part of their holidays. Unanimous in declaring the adventure “a perfect ißg," they return with a deep respect for tho Scouts of Southern France, to whom a couplo of trek-carts on a mountain side are mere things to play with instead of being severe teste of endurance. Practicnlly every lx>y hiui ft camera, and 'h-as kept a written as well as a photographic record of the journey; and several of them have promised to onte.r into correspondence with th© French Scouta they have mot. The Scouts are already interesting themselves in a suggested canoe voyage in Holland next year.

FOOD VALUES & VITAMINES LECTURE 0Y DR. HARDWICKF SMITH. An instructive and interesting lecture was given by Dr. Hardwicks Huiith in Die Red Oleas Hall in Dixon Btreet last night In conueotioti With the peace-time work of the Red Cress uml Order af St. Johrl. his subject being “Food Values told Vitaminas.” Mr. Castle, chairman of the Hospital and Charitable Aid lion id, wb.i was introduced by the liwiu Dr. Collins, occupied the ehair, and slated that the Hospital Coinniiseiou which skt recently had reeowmeuded in Rs report to the Government that a skilled dietician should be appointed io the four largb leading hospitals. Ths suggestion hud been made sums years ago, when the lecturer of the eyealnf was in charge of the XVellingtoH Hospital, but the board had not seen ite way to adopt the proposal, ©luce theu, 11 ow"ever, things had changed. A dietician kitchen had been erected at the Wellington Hospital, so that should the board s recommendation, materialise they should bo reudv for their dietician, who would In all probability be a woman. (Applause.) _ 1 Dr. Hardwleke Smith said that it vas difficult to differentiate between th* popular and the purely scientific side (it his subject. Food values were interwoven with vltsmines, and both were different aspects of the same subject, mines Were tile life-giving part Of food; without them It was dead and Useless. Foods contained 1n different degrees carbo-hydrates (which included starch and sugar), fate, proieids, and. Salta. Carbo-hydrates were to be found largely in the animal world, and grains and foot vegetables were of great value, as they contained a high percentage bf ths nutriment which was necessary to tailld up vigorous life. Food wliieh contain l ed fats was a rampart against disease. Feoplo could not live without fats, fend parents wore much to blame when they did ilot see that their children ate d sufficient amount of them. Rickets Were caused by a eoarc-. ity of fats. • and it had cftan boon found that consumptive poop’a nto vein- little tn' no fats. Vegetables contained very little fat. Olivos and soino nut seeds (Braxil nute, and hazel nuts) contained vegetable oils but vegetable oil was not of the same value oa animal fata. It was, however, more easily digested than the latter. Children who became deficient in vitamines died if not given fats. To give them cream, butter, cod liver oil, and ■ moat fats was a means of ensuring their health, and avoiding a deficiency of bone formation, rickets, pthysls. etc. Moot children developed a liking for cod liver oil after a timet cream made them Mid adults bilious only under certain conditions, foil instaiwo, when they took fats in excess. Some parents gave their children plenty of butter cream and in winter cod liver oil, also quite often bacon fat. There were all worthy foods, but if too much wore taken they toNr-™® harmful, even poisonous. Dr. Handwteke Smith also spoke of what happened when cream and certain fruits were taken in combination, acids being liberated and trouble sometimes ensuing. Fried fish he condemned, also food twice cooked. Turning to proteids, the lecturer said that these were to be found in the animal and vegetable kingdom. Cream, milk, the volk of eggs, and moat contained them, and they were vary necessary for the human body. All foods were poisonous if taken in larger quantities than the body needed, and of all food ment was tho most poisonous when taken in excess. Gout, rheumatio taoubles, and other diseases followed an excess of meat. Mutton was the least harmful of red meats. Discussing vitamines, the lecturer fiaid that they were the vital spark of all food They were divided into three classes: (1) Fat soluble A vitaminoa: these were rich in fats, and their chief tso was to promote growth in the young. (2) Water soluble B vitamines. (3) Antiscorbutic vitamines, which prevented scurvy an<l allied! diseases. Tat soluble vitamines were to be found in milk, cod liver oil, cream, butter, yolks of eggs, the juice of tomatoes, etc., but they were more largely obtained from butter, egirs, and cod liver oil. They should all enter everyone’s diet, child or adult. The brdy was prone to chest Complaints when fate were deficient, r.nd all kinds of troubles developed. With these ns part of everyone's diet consumption would fly the country. Fat vitamines were very essential for expectant mothers. Many mothers could not nuren their babies simply because they had not taken the prop?? food beforehand. Defective forth and early decay wore duo to errors in diet in early infancy, and food of a hiorh vitaminous’ value should lx* given. Wale? soluble B vitamines were to lx* found in beans and other pulses, yeast and yeast extracts, and cereals (rice and wheat). Beri-beri was attributable to a lack of the r e vitamines, .and the disease apparently did not develop in rice-eating countries until the rice was milled and polished. Anti-sdorbntic vitamines (preventing scurvy and other skin diseases) were to ba found in fresh vegetable?, cabbages, swedes, lettuce, spinach, water-cress, lemons, oranges, etc. Manv other interesting points were touched upon, including the preparation of food, and some helpful hints were given.

A verv hearty vote of thanks was passed to the speaker at tho close b fills address.