DO PLANTS HAVE QUALITY? 31 



Albrecht notes that ' ' Acetonemia in pregnant milk cows, milk 

 fever after calving, pregnancy diseases in sheep, contagious abortion 

 in cattle, rickets in young animals, and numerous other ailments still 

 baffling as to physiological explanation do not occur in June when the 

 animals have had opportunity to get from young grass the more con- 

 centrated forms and larger amounts of what we call soil fertility. ' ' 8 



Dr. Weston Price, formerly of the American Dental Association's 

 Research Commission, has observed that when primitive women aban- 

 don the natural foods on which they were reared and adopt a "civil- 

 ized" diet they begin to have trouble in childbirth, a difficulty almost 

 unheard of before. Following the change to white flour, sugars, and 

 canned goods by the mothers, many babies die early, or appear with 

 deformities, defective eyes and ears, become susceptible to rheumatism, 

 arthritis and tuberculosis. The results are even worse than among 

 the whites, who perhaps have evolved some degree of adjustment. 



The impact of modern foods on the teeth is most remarkable. 

 Primitive Indians, Eskimos, Australian Aborigines, Gaelics, Melane- 

 sians, Polynesians, Africans, Moors, Peruvians, when examined in 

 their isolated native habitats reveal average dental decay of less than 

 three teeth per hundred. Those of these people who had come in 

 contact with civilization showed decay of 20, 40, and even 60 teeth 

 per hundred. Sometimes parents would move into a "civilized" 

 town, bringing children with perfect teeth. Then, children born later 

 would develop narrow dental arches, misplaced, overlapping, protrud- 

 ing and rotten teeth. The photographs of such family groups are 

 startling. These later siblings do not even appear to belong to the 

 family ; such are the facial bone alterations. 



These facial alterations also may induce a compression of the 

 lower brain, interfering with the pituitary gland and bringing on 

 physiological and even mental disturbances. Price reports a case 

 (after Ordahl) in which a sixteen year old idiot was restored to nor- 

 mal by widening the upper jaw by means of orthodontal bracing. 

 This relieved pressure on the pituitary, with remarkable results. 



Applying his studies to American children, Price surveyed typical 

 communities and found from 25 to 75 per cent showing signs of this 

 same facial alteration changes unaccountable by heredity, intermar- 

 riage, or any reason except a deficiency of bone-forming minerals 

 and vitamins. Teachers are quite familiar with the considerable per- 

 centage of pupils who are not bright or healthy, and show it show 

 it by the dull eye, the sagging jaw, the poor complexion, the bad pos- 

 ture, the inattentive mind, the lack of coordination, etc., etc. Per- 

 sonality problems and the need for mental hygiene result. It is doubt- 

 ful that their cure can be effected by psychiatry. 



For the sceptics, Price suggests a close observation of family groups, 

 particularly where three generations are available. Look for narrow- 



8 Albrecht, Wm. A., "Soil Fertility and the Human Species," Chemical and 

 Engineering News, Feb. 25, 1943, Vol. 21. pp. 225-6. 



