13
Nutrition.
Although notes on nutrition are relegated to the end of this chapter, it should be clearly stated that the problem is probably the most pressing one of any which has to be solved in this Colony.
Sir Gowland Hopkins wrote of England that "whatever sum can possibly be spared is almost always spent on food" and Dr. McGorrigle, an expert on such problems in their immediate relation to public health, also wrote that it was "economic factors which control the situation." Such statements are even more applicable to Hong Kong and China as a whole.
Practically speaking, immigration is unrestricted and this, added to a very real refugee problem in which there is a ratio of a refugee to every two normal citizens, results in the labour market being overcrowded and in a tendency to depress the standard of living.
The invasion of Kwangtung by Japanese forces aggravated the situation not only by driving tens of thousands of refugees to seek safety in these territories, which were already overcrowded, but it resulted in a cutting off of very considerable areas from which Hong Kong derives its vegetables, meat, fish, etc.
Evidence of a serious degree of malnutrition in the population was forthcoming as the result of observations carried out at the hospitals and dispensaries, mortuaries, and at the Government camps established for refugees and destitutes. Such conditions as skin affections, eye diseases, respiratory troubles, polyneuritis of beri-beri were common. Whole wards were given up to the treatment of the last mentioned group and the recorded deaths from beri-beri alone amounted to 2,673 as compared with 1,661 in 1937.
Government was fully alive to this state of affairs and it was decided to appoint an enlarged Nutrition Research Committee under the chairmanship of the Director of Medical Services.
The terms of reference of this Committee are to ascertain the nature and extent of the problem in these territories and to devise measures to deal with it. Plans for dietary surveys have been drawn up and preliminary investigations have been carried out in regard to average meals and prices of basic foodstuffs.
Actual experiments have also been undertaken in connexion with menus for refugee and destitute camps where upwards of ten thousand have been rationed at a time. The average cost for two meals a day in such camps—fuel and service included—has been twenty cents (3d.) and there seems to be some possibility of reducing this to about sixteen cents a day and still maintaining an adequate and a balanced diet. Owing to the magnitude of the refugee problem a reduction of even 25% means a considerable saving to Government, thus releasing funds for relief work of another nature.
As in the previous years over two hundred nursing mothers and children received a nourishing soup meal each day at the welfare centres. Another three thousand or more destitutes were fed daily at three food kitchens operated under the auspices of the Emergency Refugee Council in different parts of the town. During the height of the influx of refugees, many additional food kitchens and distribution centres were organized by private charity in the New Territories.
Experimental diets were recommended to Government for use in the prisons and every effort was made to encourage the cultivation of alfalfa and amaranth and the consumption of red rice and soya bean.
The use of soya bean milk prepared with dextrimaltose, common salt and calcium hydroxide—as being cheaper than the lactate—was also popularised at the welfare centres and in the Government camps.
13
Nutrition.
(Alth
Although notes on nutrition are relegated to the end of this chapter, it should be clearly stated that the problem is probably the most pressing one of any which has to be solved in this Colony.
Sir Gowland Hopkins wrote of England that "whatever sum can possibly be spared is almost always spent on food" and Dr. McGorrigle, an expert on such problems in their immediate relation to public health, also wrote that it was "economic factors which control the situation." Such statements are even more applicable to Hong Kong and China as a whole.
Practically speaking, immigration is unrestricted and this, added to a very real refugee problem in which there is a ratio of a refugee to every two normal citizens, results in the labour market being overcrowded and in a tendency to depress the standard of living.
The invasion of Kwangtung by Japanese forces, aggravated the situation not only by driving tens of thousands of refugees to seek safety in these territories, which were already overcrowded, but it resulted in a cutting off of very considerable areas from which Hong Kong derives its vegetables, meat, fish, etc.)
Evidence of a serious degree of malnutrition in the population was forthcoming as the result of observations carried out at the hospitals and dispensaries, mortuaries, and at the Government camps established for refugees and destitutes. Such conditions as skin affections, eye diseases, respiratory troubles, polyneuritis of beri beri were common. Whole wards were given up to the treatment of the last mentioned group and the recorded deaths from beri beri alone amounted to 2,673 as compared with 1,661 in 1937.
Government was fully alive to this state of affairs and it was decided to appoint an enlarged Nutrition Research Committee under the chairmanship of the Director of Medical Services.
The terms of reference of this Committee are to ascertain the nature and extent of the problem in these territories and to devise measures to deal with it. Plans for dietary surveys have been drawn up and preliminary investigations have been carried out in regard to average meals and prices of basic foodstuffs.
Actual experiments have also been undertaken in connexion with menus for refugee and destitute camps where upwards of ten thousand have been rationed at a time. The average cost for two meals a day in such camps-fuel and service included has been twenty cents (3d.) and there seems to be some possibility of reducing this to about sixteen cents a day and still maintaining an adequate and a balanced diet. Owing to the magnitude of the refugee problem a reduction of even 25% means a considerable saving to Government, thus releasing funds for relief work of another nature.
As in the previous years over two hundred nursing mothers and children received a nourishing soup meal each day at the welfare centres. Another three thousand or more destitutes were fed daily at three food kitchens operated under the auspices of the Emergency Refugee Council in different parts of the town. During the height of the influx of refugees, many additional food kitchens and distribution centres were organized by private charity in the New Territories.
Experimental diets were recommended to Government for use in the prisons and every effort was made to encourage the cultivation of alfalfa and amaranth and the consumption of red rice and soya bean.
The use of soya bean milk prepared with dextrimaltose, common salt and calcium hydroxide-as being cheaper than the lactate was also popularised at the welfare centres and in the Government camps.
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