John Boyd Orr

Summary of the series of Articles on the Vitamins.

Therapeutic dietetics has become such an important branch of medicine that the clinician must keep himself informed of recent advances on the subject. But it is impossible for him to read the enormous literature amounting, as it does, to an annual output of about 5,000 papers, of which about half deal with vitamins. This series of reviews should prove of value in providing a statement on the present knowledge of vitamins of importance in medicine.

Food Production and Food Control

IN anticipation of the War, the Foods (Defence) Plans Committee, working in co-operation with the trades concerned, prepared an elaborate scheme of food control for Great Britain. Excellent though this scheme is in some respects, it is not sufficient to deal with the situation. It does not take account of the fact that, even before the War began, the diet of the poorest third of the population was not up to the standard we now know to be necessary for health. This is the weakest part of the food front. Our food plans should be directed first and foremost to bring the diet of these people up to the standard. If they have sufficient, we need not worry about the rest of the population.