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DIET AND WESTERN DISEASE
644 weeks since her
previous review to relieve
a
muscle strain caused
Obituary
by a fall. One might reasonably wonder whether the local heat contributed to the rapid appearance of such a florid recurrence, and it would be interesting to know whether any similar examples have been noted. Surgical Division, Southampton University Medical
King’s College Hospital, London, died
School, Fanshawe Street, Southampton SO9 4PE.
at
A. R. TURNBULL.
FEWER-AND BETTER ?
SIR,-In your note (March 8, p. 587) you have misinterpreted an ambiguous sentence in the Eugenics Society’s discussion paper. The authors anticipate that it will, on the whole, be capable parents, who have enjoyed rearing their first two children to, say, school-entry age, who plan a third and fourth. The authors would also like to see improved children’s allowances. They do not, however, advocate that such financial help should be limited to capable parents. The discussion paper specifically states that " Selection by the State of parents to have larger or smaller families would be undesirable and indeed altogether unacceptable in an egalitarian democracy such as that of Britain. "
42 Forest
Drive, Keston, Kent.
C. O. CARTER.
DIET AND WESTERN DISEASE " policy on action " based on should recent nutrition research begin with a public our diet and diseases into the relation between inquiry common in Britain. Despite the increasing costs and world shortages of food, we do not know how much food man requires, nor the meaning of a " balanced diet ", which has traditionally been based, as have " normal " blood-levels of cholesterol, blood-sugar, and insulin, on overweight, overfed Europeans and Americans.2 Evidence suggests that we should actively encourage breast-feeding; change to a whole-wheat flour; and eat little or no sugar, more fruit and vegetables, and less fat meat, eggs, and dairy products. However, I am also concerned about the low blood-levels of vitamin C which are common in elderly people and others in Britain. At or below blood-levels of 15 {l.g. vitamin C per 1011 cells, collagen metabolism is impaired3 and bleeding from blood-vessels has been reported.4 Low bloodlevels of vitamin C are associated with nasal, intestinal, menstrual, sublingual, and skin haemorrhages,5 atheroma together with impaired cholesterol metabolism,6 and psychological disturbances. Very low blood-levels of vitamin C have lately been found in children in Scotland.’7 Damage to the epithelium of the mouth and tongue, often associated with fungal infections,5 is also commonly found in elderly people in Britain. These clinical signs are widely recog-nised as being associated with low levels of one or more of the B-group vitamins. The nutritional influences producing these vitamin-associated conditions seem to be largely
SIR,-Isuggest that the
ignored. The Old Rectory, Cricket Malherbie,
Ilminster, Somerset.
GEOFFREY TAYLOR.
Lancet, 1974, ii, 1527. Durnin, J. V. G. A., Edholm, O. G., Miller, D. S., Waterlow, J. C. Nature, 1973, 242, 418. 3. Windsor, A. C. W., Williams, C. B. Br. med. J. 1970, i, 732. 4. Hodges, R. E., Baker, E. M., Hood, J., Sauberlich, H. E., March, S. C. Am. J. clin. Nutr. 1969, 22, 535. 5. Taylor, G. F. Community Hlth, 1972, 3, 244. 6. Ginter, E. in Vitamin C (edited by G. C. Birch and K. Parker); p. 179. Barking, Essex, 1974. 7. Dawson, K. P., Duncan, A. Lancet, 1974, ii, 1212. 1. 2.
ARTHUR WALLIS KENDALL M.S.Lond., F.R.C.S. Mr A. W. Kendall, formerly senior surgeon on
to
Feb. 26
the age of 70.
The son of Dr J. A. Kendall, he was educated at Barnard Castle School, King’s College, London, and King’s College Hospital, qualifying in 1926 and graduating M.B. in 1927 and M.S. in 1934; he became F.R.C.S. in 1931. He held posts as house-surgeon at King’s and as surgical registrar at the Westminster Hospital. He also served as medical officer in a cable ship. In 1934 he was appointed assistant surgeon to King’s College Hospital. Elected vice-dean of the Medical School in 1938, he had little opportunity to make his mark on School policy because the outbreak of war in 1939 cut short his term of office. Already commissioned in the R.N.V.R., he attained the rank of He was surgeon captain and was awarded the V.R.D. surgeon to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children, St. Giles’ Hospital, Camberwell, and the Norwood Cottage Hospital. He examined in surgery for the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Society of Apothecaries, and the University of London. As a surgeon, Kendall had few equals; it was a joy to watch him in the operating-theatre. He never appeared to hurry, and his extraordinary economy of movement gave the impression of almost leisurely work, but he obviously thought out every step in advance and anticipated any difficulty. This permitted him to achieve an operating speed which is all too rare today. He set himself a high standard and required an equally high standard from his assistants. He detested mere showmanship in surgery. Kendall was a shy and reserved man of outstanding intellect and wide reading who could speak with authority on many subjects, and who would never accept a traditional belief without question. Few of his colleagues came to know him well. He gained the reputation of being a stubborn opponent who delighted to oppose simply for the joy of opposition; only those who were fortunate enough to penetrate his reserve understood that his seeming intolerance stemmed from a reasoned refusal to accept a widely held opinion. Those of us who knew him well found him a kindly man, a loyal friend, and, above all, a companion whose wide interests and depth of thought stimulated us to rethink many of our preconceived ideas. Mr Kendall married Dr Verna Hackett, sister of the present principal of King’s College, Sir John Hackett, in 1930; she, and two sons and two daughters, survive him.
F. F. C.
Appointments Trent
Regional Health Authority:
ARROWSMITH, W. A., M.R.C.S., M.R.C.P., D.C.H.: consultant paediatrician, Doncaster area. CHAPMAN, M. G. T., M.R.C.S., M.R.C.PSYCH., D.P.M. : consultant child psychiatrist, central and south district, Derbyshire A.H.A., and
local-authority child guidance service. CRESSWELL, M. A., M.B.Sheff., M.R.C.P., D.c.H.: consultant peediatrician, South Lincolnshire. HODGKINS, JOHN, M.B.Manc., M.R.C.O.G., F.R.C.S.E. : consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Derby area. JAMES, VIRGE, B.M.Oxon., M.R.C.PATH.: consultant, Regional Blood Transfusion Service.
O’MELIA, JOHN, M.B.Leeds, M.R.C.PSYCH., D.P.M. : consultant child psychiatrist, central and south districts, Derbyshire A.H.A., and local-authority child guidance service. WINFIELD, D. A., M.B.Sheff., M.R.C.P., M.R.C.PATH. : consultant ha:matologist, Derby area.
previous review to relieve
a
muscle strain caused
Obituary
by a fall. One might reasonably wonder whether the local heat contributed to the rapid appearance of such a florid recurrence, and it would be interesting to know whether any similar examples have been noted. Surgical Division, Southampton University Medical
King’s College Hospital, London, died
School, Fanshawe Street, Southampton SO9 4PE.
at
A. R. TURNBULL.
FEWER-AND BETTER ?
SIR,-In your note (March 8, p. 587) you have misinterpreted an ambiguous sentence in the Eugenics Society’s discussion paper. The authors anticipate that it will, on the whole, be capable parents, who have enjoyed rearing their first two children to, say, school-entry age, who plan a third and fourth. The authors would also like to see improved children’s allowances. They do not, however, advocate that such financial help should be limited to capable parents. The discussion paper specifically states that " Selection by the State of parents to have larger or smaller families would be undesirable and indeed altogether unacceptable in an egalitarian democracy such as that of Britain. "
42 Forest
Drive, Keston, Kent.
C. O. CARTER.
DIET AND WESTERN DISEASE " policy on action " based on should recent nutrition research begin with a public our diet and diseases into the relation between inquiry common in Britain. Despite the increasing costs and world shortages of food, we do not know how much food man requires, nor the meaning of a " balanced diet ", which has traditionally been based, as have " normal " blood-levels of cholesterol, blood-sugar, and insulin, on overweight, overfed Europeans and Americans.2 Evidence suggests that we should actively encourage breast-feeding; change to a whole-wheat flour; and eat little or no sugar, more fruit and vegetables, and less fat meat, eggs, and dairy products. However, I am also concerned about the low blood-levels of vitamin C which are common in elderly people and others in Britain. At or below blood-levels of 15 {l.g. vitamin C per 1011 cells, collagen metabolism is impaired3 and bleeding from blood-vessels has been reported.4 Low bloodlevels of vitamin C are associated with nasal, intestinal, menstrual, sublingual, and skin haemorrhages,5 atheroma together with impaired cholesterol metabolism,6 and psychological disturbances. Very low blood-levels of vitamin C have lately been found in children in Scotland.’7 Damage to the epithelium of the mouth and tongue, often associated with fungal infections,5 is also commonly found in elderly people in Britain. These clinical signs are widely recog-nised as being associated with low levels of one or more of the B-group vitamins. The nutritional influences producing these vitamin-associated conditions seem to be largely
SIR,-Isuggest that the
ignored. The Old Rectory, Cricket Malherbie,
Ilminster, Somerset.
GEOFFREY TAYLOR.
Lancet, 1974, ii, 1527. Durnin, J. V. G. A., Edholm, O. G., Miller, D. S., Waterlow, J. C. Nature, 1973, 242, 418. 3. Windsor, A. C. W., Williams, C. B. Br. med. J. 1970, i, 732. 4. Hodges, R. E., Baker, E. M., Hood, J., Sauberlich, H. E., March, S. C. Am. J. clin. Nutr. 1969, 22, 535. 5. Taylor, G. F. Community Hlth, 1972, 3, 244. 6. Ginter, E. in Vitamin C (edited by G. C. Birch and K. Parker); p. 179. Barking, Essex, 1974. 7. Dawson, K. P., Duncan, A. Lancet, 1974, ii, 1212. 1. 2.
ARTHUR WALLIS KENDALL M.S.Lond., F.R.C.S. Mr A. W. Kendall, formerly senior surgeon on
to
Feb. 26
the age of 70.
The son of Dr J. A. Kendall, he was educated at Barnard Castle School, King’s College, London, and King’s College Hospital, qualifying in 1926 and graduating M.B. in 1927 and M.S. in 1934; he became F.R.C.S. in 1931. He held posts as house-surgeon at King’s and as surgical registrar at the Westminster Hospital. He also served as medical officer in a cable ship. In 1934 he was appointed assistant surgeon to King’s College Hospital. Elected vice-dean of the Medical School in 1938, he had little opportunity to make his mark on School policy because the outbreak of war in 1939 cut short his term of office. Already commissioned in the R.N.V.R., he attained the rank of He was surgeon captain and was awarded the V.R.D. surgeon to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children, St. Giles’ Hospital, Camberwell, and the Norwood Cottage Hospital. He examined in surgery for the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Society of Apothecaries, and the University of London. As a surgeon, Kendall had few equals; it was a joy to watch him in the operating-theatre. He never appeared to hurry, and his extraordinary economy of movement gave the impression of almost leisurely work, but he obviously thought out every step in advance and anticipated any difficulty. This permitted him to achieve an operating speed which is all too rare today. He set himself a high standard and required an equally high standard from his assistants. He detested mere showmanship in surgery. Kendall was a shy and reserved man of outstanding intellect and wide reading who could speak with authority on many subjects, and who would never accept a traditional belief without question. Few of his colleagues came to know him well. He gained the reputation of being a stubborn opponent who delighted to oppose simply for the joy of opposition; only those who were fortunate enough to penetrate his reserve understood that his seeming intolerance stemmed from a reasoned refusal to accept a widely held opinion. Those of us who knew him well found him a kindly man, a loyal friend, and, above all, a companion whose wide interests and depth of thought stimulated us to rethink many of our preconceived ideas. Mr Kendall married Dr Verna Hackett, sister of the present principal of King’s College, Sir John Hackett, in 1930; she, and two sons and two daughters, survive him.
F. F. C.
Appointments Trent
Regional Health Authority:
ARROWSMITH, W. A., M.R.C.S., M.R.C.P., D.C.H.: consultant paediatrician, Doncaster area. CHAPMAN, M. G. T., M.R.C.S., M.R.C.PSYCH., D.P.M. : consultant child psychiatrist, central and south district, Derbyshire A.H.A., and
local-authority child guidance service. CRESSWELL, M. A., M.B.Sheff., M.R.C.P., D.c.H.: consultant peediatrician, South Lincolnshire. HODGKINS, JOHN, M.B.Manc., M.R.C.O.G., F.R.C.S.E. : consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Derby area. JAMES, VIRGE, B.M.Oxon., M.R.C.PATH.: consultant, Regional Blood Transfusion Service.
O’MELIA, JOHN, M.B.Leeds, M.R.C.PSYCH., D.P.M. : consultant child psychiatrist, central and south districts, Derbyshire A.H.A., and local-authority child guidance service. WINFIELD, D. A., M.B.Sheff., M.R.C.P., M.R.C.PATH. : consultant ha:matologist, Derby area.