GOITRE PREVENTION

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 25, 22 October 1937, Page 7

GOITRE PREVENTION

Simple Adjustments of Diet IODINE CONTENT IMPORTANT That prevention of goitre. is a coolt* ery problem was the opinion expressed by Miss Yiolet Macmillan of the A.C.E. Department Otago University at a meeting held recently in Christchurch. People were greatly cOneerned about infantile paralysis, said Miss Macmillan, but goitre, which is with us always, does not alarm us to the same extent. We should be even more alarmed by goitre than by infantile paralysis. The latter, so far, had defied all the attcmpts of doctors to find a treatment which promises protection, but goitre could be prevented in the simplest way, by merely making small adjustments to the diet. Dr. C. E. Hercus, Dean ofthe Medical Faculty in the University of Otago, had said in a recent lecture that in New Zealand more than 11,000 Europeans had been admitted to public hospitals alone, as a result of goitre, between 1914 and 1935. If tho records from private hospitals wero available over the same period it was cstimated that this total would be doubled. During the same period 4053 persons were admitted to public hospitals for infantile paralysis. He had concluded his lccture by saying that "while the problem of how In p---> ve'i t goitre eonlci he as solved, the application df the knowledge awaits an informed public. Miss Macmillan said it had been proved that wlierever people took an adequate quantity of iodine witli their food there was no goitre, and whereever the iodine content of the food was less than adequate, as it was throughout New Zealand, goitre occurred. The diet of everyone in New Zealnnd tlierofore, required a daily supplem.entation of 100 micrograms of iodine. What was the community going to do about it? Mfetd SJm «i(oak«j. if it wfluld fiuJUF ku.

into aetion, as It did In the infantile paralysis opidemic, it could stamp out goitre, It might agitate to have iodised salt imported and licensed for sale in New Zealand, since statistics showed that at present only 30 per cent. of the salt used was iodised. It might take steps to ensure that all iodised salt was adequately iodised, since it had been shown that the present salt contained too little iodine to give protection. If the iodised salt were adequately iodised and everyone used it exclusivelv, tho extra 100 micrograms would bo automatically added; but this happy state of affairs did not exist, so the responsibility for providing the extra iodine rested with the housewife's choice of the foods served to her family. For the protection of those under her care the housewife needed not merely to use ■ the iodised salt as at present sold, but also daily to supply her family with foods rich in iodine. Seaweeds were the richcst sources i of iodine, and noxt to them the sea-weed-eating fish— butterfish (or greenbone) and blue cod — then sea fish of every kind, especially Oysters and salmon. The white-muscled carmvorous fish, such as groper for instance, were comparatively low in iodine. Cod liver oi! was very high in iodine content. If in every home, in addition to iodised salt, one or other of these foods wero used every day, tho extra 100 micrograms would bo given. Inland, wbere goitrcs are most prevalent, a regular supply of fresh fish was most difficult to procuro, though tinned fish was a good substitute. To relieve the situation and to ensuro that all could liave a regular supply of iodine-ricli food cheaplv, Dr. Hercus had suggested that firms should prepare seaweed foods. One firm had put on the market several foods which contain enough seaweed to enable them to scrve as a substitute for fish as a source of iodine.