FOXTON LUNCH CLUB.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3941, 11 May 1929, Page 2

FOXTON LUNCH CLUB.

ADDRESS BY MR. I. CORN. Mr. I. Corn was the speaker at Thursday’s Lunch Club meeting and he chose for his subject “Vitamines.” Mr. Corn stressed the great importance \it amines played in our health and said that some time ago an eminent scientist had announced that in his opinion man or some tangible form of iifeyvould be created synthetically by using chemicals, atoms and electrons. In Hew of recent experiments, however, Mr. Corn did not think this would lie at all possible. Food had been prepared synthetically, the chemicals found in various foods having been mixed in exact proportions so that chemically they were identical with the original -foods, ibnt wlien they were to anilnmls for experimental purposes they had proved to he a failure. The animals' failed to thrive on the preparations and it was discovered that something was missing. Further research was carried out and it was discovered that when the animals fed on one oi two foods exclusively they immediately began to show a decline in health.

Britain, said Mr. Corn, was the brst country to discover vitamines and to her is due the thanks of the whole wolrld for her wonderful discovery: The discovery of vitamines and the investigation of their action have cleared up many mysteries of food action and been the means of curing certain diseases. As soon as the discovery of vitamines was made, they were isolated into three groups, hut since then four more have been discovered and they are now designated by the letters A. B. C. D. E. and F., each playing a significant and important part in man’s diet to-day. In instancing the important part these vitamines played in the diet of man, Mjr. Corn said that in years gone by scurvy had taken a heavy toll of the lives of seafaring men. Captain Cook was the first man to ’take any steps in an endeavour to combat the disease and although he did not understand anything about vitamines, he succeeded in overcoming the scurge by substituting fresh meat and fresh vegetables for the usual preserved food commonly used by seafaring men of that day. David Livingstone, another great British explorer also discovered something of the great part vitamines played in the diet of man. He noticed that when, on one occasion, he and his party wed's confined .to a diet of coffee, manioc roots and corn meal, a certain disease of the eye effected all members of the party, which soon disappeared when the explorers were able to partake of a more balanced diet.

Beri-heri, a disease common among rice-eating countries, was solely attributable to the lack of vita mine B in the diet and Mr. Corn gave an interesting illustration proving this fact. A number of prisoners were interned on one occasion, some being criminals' and others merely political offenders. The political offenders were treated with a little more respect than the criminals by the prison authorities and were given a diet of polished rice. The criminals, on the other hand, were fed on unpolished rice. The former was not long imprisoned before beri-heri broke out among them in a severe form hut strange to say there was no tra.ee of the disease among the other section of prisoners, which „was another instance of the necessity in diet of vitamine B,

Care had to he taken in prepav-. ing a diet that vitamines were not destroyed. Vitalmines were easily destroyed and all -food should be taken fresh and by so doing a great number of irrigularities in health sc common among the present generation, wfhild disappear. Many of our present day ailments could me traced to preservml foods. Only a short time ago Scurvy was a common complaint amongst the infants of any city. This, it was discovered, was due to the boiling of the milk which was fed to them. Recent experiments carried out in London showed that ricketts could, be cured by vitamine D. Cod Liver Oil it,was found was rich in vitamine D. and this fact puzzled the scientists for some time as vitamine D was only obtained per medium of the sun, whereas the extract from which the preparation was made was taken from'the eod fish. It was discovered however, that the cod fed on a small fish which in turn derived its sustenance from vegetable diatrons and so the vitamine D found its way into the eod.

Eat regularly, said Mr. Corn in conclusion, eat- fresh food stuffs and do not over eat and all will be well. Eat, drink and be merry consistently and you will surely die on the morrow. At the conclusion of his address, Ml-. Corn was accorded a vote of thanks on the motion of Messrs W. Trueman and Nicholas who expressed the hope that Mr. Corn would -he -able to give a fuller address to the Club at some future occasion. The chairman (Mir. J. K. Homiilo'w) in conveying the motion of appreciation to Mr. Corn, also referred to the great necessity for lectures on this important subject of diet, which, lie said, should be taken up by the Government. The children were now being well looked to bv the Phinket Societies throughout the country and the Government should give serious consideration to instructing the people of New Zealand on the correct methods of living. Mr. Horriblow also i‘eferred to his -experiences in the United States and outlined the methods adopted by that country to instruct its people in the art of living.