THE VITAMIN BANDWAGGON
Sir-The letter of Pharmaceutical Chemist in your issue of August 20 was noteworthy only on account of the insinuation that Dr. Bell’s statements had dubious medical backing. It, therefore, seems necessary to emphasise that the commercial exploitation of vitamins through the radio and the press has no scientific foundation in theory, and is contrary to public interest in practice. The vitamins are potent drugs which have actions as yet not fully understood. It is not known, for example, what is the effect on the absorption of other vitamins when one is administered in big doses. The sale and promotion of such preparations cannot be included in a campaign for good nutrition. It should be self evident that the study of vitamins has its practical application in preventive medicine, as distinct from curative medicine, only in guiding us as to what foods we should eat-certainly not in what pills we should swallow. The chemist plays only a minor, but very important, part in dietetics in as much as he distributes a considerable proportion of those necessary foodsthe fish oils, or the more elegant preparations such as the emulsions and the malts, which, for practical purposes, are only as useful as is the’- content of fish oil. The chemist cannot take the place of the greengrocer. dairyman, etc.-
ALBERT D. G.
BLANC
BSc. MB.,
Ch.B. (Green Island).
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19430903.2.9.1
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 9, Issue 219, 3 September 1943, Page 3
Word count
Tapeke kupu
228THE VITAMIN BANDWAGGON New Zealand Listener, Volume 9, Issue 219, 3 September 1943, Page 3
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in