If we think of Nature's calendar as one in
which centuries are days and civilizations are years, the part current events are playing in the
history of a great continent like Africa may be mere incidents. This much we do know that throughout the world some remnants of several primitive racial
stocks have persisted to this day even in very exacting environments and only by such could they
have been protected. In my studies of these several racial stocks I find that it is not accident but accumulated wisdom
regarding foods that lies behind their physical excellence and freedom from our modern
degenerative processes, and, further, that on various sides of our world the primitive people know
many of the things that are essential for life-things that our modern civilizations apparently do not
know. These are the fundamental truths of life that have put them in harmony with Nature through
obeying her nutritional laws. Whence this wisdom? Was there in the distant past a world civilization
that was better attuned to Nature's laws and have these remnants retained that knowledge? If this
is not the explanation, it must be that these various primitive racial stocks have been able through a
superior skill in interpreting cause and effect, to determine for themselves what foods in their
environment are best for producing human bodies with a maximum of physical fitness and
resistance to degeneration. Primitive native races of eastern and central Africa have in their native state a very high immunity
to dental caries, ranging from 0 to less than 1 per cent of the teeth affected for many of the tribes. Where modernized, however, the incidence increased to 12.1 per cent. In the matter of facial deformity thirteen tribes out of twenty-seven studied presented so high a
standard of excellence that not a single individual in the group was found with deformed dental
arches. Their nutrition varied according to their location, but always provided an adequate quantity of
body-building and repairing material, even though much effort was required to obtain some of the
essential food factors. Many tribes practiced feeding girls special foods for an extended period
before marriage. Spacing of children was provided by a system of plural wives. REFERENCES
1. GORER, G. Africa Dances. N. Y., Knopf, 1935. 2. SAUVAGE, M. Les secrets de l'Afrique Noire. Intransigeant, July-Aug., 1934. 3. BROWNE, G. The Vanishing Tribes of Kenya. London, Seeley Service, 1925. 7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 102/250  
TABLE OF CONTENTS    
 
Chapter 10
ISOLATED AND MODERNIZED AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES
OUR problem of throwing light upon the cause of the physical breakdown of our modern
civilization, with special consideration of tooth decay and facial deformity, requires a critical
examination of individuals living in as wide a range of physical conditions as may be possible. This
requires that the Aborigines of Australia be included in this examination of human reactions to
physical environments. These were studied in 1936. In selecting the individuals in the various groups special effort was made to include children
between the ages of ten and sixteen years in order to have an opportunity to observe and record
the condition of the dental arches after the permanent teeth had erupted. This was necessary
because the deciduous dentition or first set of teeth may be in normal position in the arches with a
correct relationship between the arches, and the permanent dentition show marked irregularity. The shape of the dental arches of the infant at birth and the teeth that are to take their place in the
arches have considerable of their calcification at birth. The development of the adult face,
however, does not occur until the permanent teeth have erupted. The general shape or pattern is
largely influenced by the position and direction of the eruption of the permanent teeth. These
studies, accordingly, have included a careful, detailed record of the shape of the dental arch of
each individual. The Australian Aborigines constitute one of the most unique primitive races that have come out
of the past into our modern times and they are probably the oldest living race. We are particularly
concerned with those qualities that have made possible their survival and cultural development. The Aborigines are of special interest because they have come out of a very distant past and are
associated with animal life which is unique in being characterized as a living museum preserved
from the dawn of animal life on the earth. Many of the animal species that are abundant in Australia
are found only in fossil form on other continents. The evidence indicates that they crossed on a
land bridge which connected Australia with Asia. After the bridge was submerged the animals
persisted in that protected island continent which never has known any of the animal species of
later development. Among these animals the marsupials play an important role and constitute a
large variety. The American continent has only one or two of the many forms found in Australia. These are the opossum of the marsupial family and the sloth. One of the most curious animals living
on the earth today, or that has left its remains in the petrified skeletons of early periods of the
earth's history, is the duckbill platypus. It has the unique distinction of having the characteristics of
several animal species. It lays eggs like a bird and hatches them with the heat of its body in its
pouch. It has webbed, five-toed feet, like the water birds, a bill like a duck and hair and tail like a
beaver. The typical marsupial pouch for carrying its young, is another characteristic of this strange
animal. Like other mammals it provides milk for its young. Its milk is similar in chemical
constituents to that of other mammals. Most rudimentary in form are the mammary glands of the
platypus. The young, when hatched in the pouch, nuzzle the lining membrane of the pouch and the
milk exudes through minute openings. There is no nipple. The animal lives chiefly in the water. Its
home is built above the water level on the bank, but the entrance to it is underneath the water. They are exceedingly playful creatures, apparently more at home in the water than on land. They
live on both animal life and plant food found under the water. They seem to be related to an early
era of differentiation of animal species.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 103/250
    The Aborigines are credited with having the most primitive type of skeletal development of any
race living today. The eyes are very deep set, the brows very prominent giving them an expression
that identifies them as a distinct racial type. See Fig. 52. Professor Weidenreich has shown that
they resemble in this regard the recently discovered ancient Peking man. While they are still in the
Stone Age stage in their arts and crafts, they have developed further in some respects than has any
other ancient race. Their skill in tracking and outwitting the fleet and very cunning animal life of their
land is so remarkable that they have been accredited with a sixth sense. They have been able to
build good bodies and maintain them in excellent condition in a country in which the plant life, and
consequently the lower animal life can be maintained at only a very low level because of the
absence of rain. Over half of Australia has less than ten inches of rain a year. It is significant that
the natives have maintained a vigorous existence in districts in which the white population which
expelled them is unable to continue to live. Among the white race there, the death rate approaches
or exceeds the birth rate. FIG. 52. The Aborigines of Australia are recognized to be the
oldest living race of mankind. Note the prominent eyebrows
and deep set eyes. The man at the upper right is holding his
spears and wamara, or spear thrower. They are very fond of
decorations on their bodies. Little baldness was seen even in
the very old. 7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 104/250    They have developed a device for throwing spears, which makes them more deadly than any in
the world. I witnessed a group of the present-day natives throwing their spears at a target which
consisted of a banana stalk much smaller than a man's body. They threw the spears from a
distance which I estimated to be seventy-five yards. About thirty spears were thrown and several
pierced the banana stalk and the others were stuck in the ground close around it. This was
accomplished by means of a wamara or throwing stick approximately as long as the arm, with a
strong hand grip at one end and a device on the other end for engaging in a depression in the butt
of the spear. This was thrown by poising the spear about the level of the shoulder, the spear
supported by the fingers of the hand which swung the throwing stick. The latter extended back
over the shoulder. The impact of their spears has often been demonstrated to be sufficient to
completely penetrate a man's body. Their method of tempering wood for the points of the spears
was such that the spearheads offered great resistance. A throwing stick is shown in Fig. 52 (upper
right). These natives decorate their bodies with paints for dances and sports. They know the habits of
all of the animals and insects so well that they are able to reproduce the calls of the animals and
thus decoy them into traps. Some of the water birds maintain sentinels at lookout points to guard
those in the water. The Aborigines are able to decoy these birds by most ingenious methods. They
travel with their bodies disguised by grass and shrubbery and enter the water with a headgear
made from feathers of one of the birds. Once in the water, they then maneuver in a manner similar
to that of the birds and go among the flock of wild ducks or swans. Working entirely under water,
they draw the birds under one by one and take load after load to shore without raising the
suspicion of the flock. When working among the kangaroos they are so skilled in preparing
movable blinds that they can kill many in a grazing wild pack without alarming the rest, always
striking when the animal is grazing. Their skill at fishing probably exceeds that of any other race. They are so highly trained in the knowledge of the habits of the fish and the type of movement that
the fish transmits to the water and to the reeds in the water, that one of their important contests
between tribes is to see how many fish can be struck in succession with a spear, the fish never
being seen, their only information as to its whereabouts being the change in the surface of the water
and movement of grasses that are growing in the water as the fish moves. The fish are started by
the umpire's striking the water. The experts bring up a fish six times out of eight. These fishing
contests are held along the banks of lakes and rivers where the water is deep enough for some of
the reeds and grasses to come to the surface. The contestants travel in canoes. The native canoe is cut in one piece from the side of a tree, the cutting being done with stone
axes. The canoe offers an exceedingly treacherous platform from which a standing man must throw
his spear. For some of the contests the canoe carries a paddler, but in the most exacting contests
the spear man must manage his own flat-bottomed canoe. The skill of the Aborigines in tracking is so phenomenal that practically every large modern town
or city in Australia has one or more of these men on its police staff today to track criminals. For
weeks, they carry the detailed information about the characteristics of the prisoner's foot across
the desert, and when they come across the man s foot print they recognize it among all others in
the same path. Every leaf that is turned over or grain of sand on bare rocks has meaning for them. Their social organization is such that almost every person who had been in intimate contact with
them, testified that they had never known any of the Aborigines to be guilty of the theft of anything. Even where partly modernized, as they are in the large government reservations they are
trustworthy. A nurse in an emergency hospital told me that she continually left her money, jewelry
and other objects of personal property freely exposed and available where many of the hundreds
of primitives passing could pick them up, and that she had never known them to take anything. The
other nurses had had the same experience. Every boy and girl among these Aborigines must pass many examinations. Their early schooling
includes the tracking of small animals and insects. The small boys begin throwing spears almost as
soon as they can stand up straight. No young man can even witness a meeting of the council, let
alone become a member of it, until he has passed three supreme tests of manhood. First, he is7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 105/250tested for his ability to withstand hunger without complaint. The test for this is to go on a march for
two or three days over the hot desert and assist in preparing the meals of roast kangaroo and other
choice foods and not partake of any himself. He must not complain. If he becomes too weak, he is
given a small portion. There are tests for fear in which he is placed under the most trying ordeals
without knowing that it is part of his examination, and he must demonstrate that he will accept
death rather than flee. No member of their society would be allowed to continue to live with the
tribe if he had defied the ideals of the group. Immorality is cause for immediate death. The growing boys among the Aborigines are taught deference and esteem for their elders in
many impressive ways. A boy may not kill or capture a slow moving animal. That is left for the
older men, whom he must call. He must limit his hunting primarily to the fast fleeing and canny
kangaroos and wallabies, whom even a man on horseback cannot outdistance. Racketeers and
such unsocial beings could not exist in this type of civilization. Marriages are arranged according to very distinct tribal patterns and every girl is provided with
a husband at a time decided by the council. Their code of ethics is built around the conception of a
powerful Supreme Force that is related to the sun. They believe that there is an after-existence in
which the myriads of stars represent the spirits of the Aborigines that lived before. The boys and
girls are taught the names of the great characters that make up the different constellations. These
were individuals who had conquered all of the temptations of life and had lived so completely in the
interest of others that they had fulfilled the great motivating principle of their religion, which is that
life consists in serving others as one would wish to be served. The seven stars of Pleiades were
seven beautiful maidens that had surpassed most other girls in their devotion and service in the
interest of their tribe. It is most remarkable how closely this concept is related to the classical myth
regarding the seven daughters of Atlas and the nymph, Pleione. A part of a young men's examination to determine his ability to withstand pain and his power of
self-control consists in performing an operation at the time of his graduation. This operation is at
the same time calculated to provide him with his badge of attainment. It consists of the boy's lying
on his back and allowing the appointed operator to knock out one of his front upper teeth. This is
done by putting a peg against the tooth and hitting it a series of sharp blows with a stone. He must
endure this without flinching. We saw scores that carried this diploma. Prior to this, other very
severe tests of physical endurance had been successfully completed. The marvelous vision of these primitive people is illustrated by the fact that they can see many
stars that our race cannot see. In this connection it is authoritatively recorded regarding the Maori
of New Zealand that they can see the satellites of Jupiter which are only visible to the white man's
eye with the aid of telescopes. These people prove that they can see the satellites by telling the
man at the telescope when the eclipse of one of the stars occurs. It is said of these primitive
Aborigines of Australia that they can see animals moving at a distance of a mile which ordinary
white people can not see at all. While these evidences of superior physical development command our most profound
admiration, their ability to build superb bodies and maintain them in excellent condition in so
difficult an environment commands our genuine respect. It is a supreme test of human efficiency. It
is doubtful if many places in the world can demonstrate so great a contrast in physical development
and perfection of body as that which exists between the primitive Aborigines of Australia who have
been the sole arbiters of their fate, and those Aborigines who have been under the influence of the
white man. The white man has deprived them of their original habitats and is now feeding them in
reservations while using them as laborers in modern industrial pursuits. This contrast between the
primitive Aborigines as they still exist in isolated communities in Australia and the modern members
of the clans is not, however, much greater than that between these excellent primitives and the
whites, near whom they are living. In my comparative study of primitive races in different parts of the world, of modernized
members of their groups and of whites who have displaced them, as well as in my study of our
typical modern social organization, I have seldom, if ever, found whites suffering so tragically from7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 106/250evidence of physical degeneration, as expressed in tooth decay and change in facial form, as are
the whites of eastern Australia. This has occurred on the very best of the land that these primitives
formerly occupied and becomes at once a monument to the wisdom of the primitive Aborigines
and a signboard of warning to the modern civilization that has supplanted them. Their superb
physical excellence is demonstrated in every isolated group in the primitive stocks with which we
came in contact. For tribes that have lived along the coast and had access to the sea foods, their
stature was large and well formed. When living in the Bush they are largely without clothing. Where they are congregated in the
reservations they are required to wear clothing. It is important to note in these people the splendid
proportions of the faces, all of which are broad, with the dental arches wide and well contoured. This is Nature's normal form for all humans and is shown in Figs. 53 and 54 (upper right). The
person in Fig. 53 (upper left) is a woman. FIG. 53. No other primitive race seems to deserve so much
credit for skill in obeying nature's laws as these primitive
Aborigines because of the perpetual drought hazards of
much of the land they live in. Half of Australia has less than
ten inches of rain per year. Note the magnificent dental
arches and beautiful teeth of these primitives. Tooth decay
was almost unknown in many districts. 7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 107/250FIG. 54. Wherever the primitive Aborigines have been placed
in reservations and fed on the white man's foods of
commerce dental caries has become rampant. This destroys
their beauty, prevents mastication, and provides infection for
seriously injuring their bodies. Note the contrast between
the primitive woman in the upper right and the three
modernized women. Various factors in the changed environment were studied critically. Samples of foods were
gathered for chemical analysis; and the changes in the modern diet from that which was
characteristic of the primitives were studied. When the teeth of the primitives and the teeth found in
the skulls that had been assembled in the museums were examined, it was found that dental caries
or tooth decay was exceedingly rare among the isolated groups. Those individuals, however, who
had adopted the foods of the white man suffered extremely from tooth decay as did the whites. Where they had no opportunity to get native food to combine with the white man's food their
condition was desperate and extreme. This is readily disclosed in Fig. 54. Note contrast with
upper right. It is quite impossible to imagine the suffering that these people were compelled to
endure due to abscessing teeth resulting from rampant tooth decay. As we had found in some of
the modernized islands of the Pacific, we discovered that here, too, discouragement and a longing
for death had taken the place of a joy in living in many. Few souls in the world have experienced
this discouragement and this longing to a greater degree. One of the most important phases of our special quest was to get information that would throw
light on the degeneration of the facial pattern that occurs so often in our modern civilization. This
has its expression in the narrowing and lengthening of the face and the development of crooked
teeth. It is most remarkable and should be one of the most challenging facts that can come to our
modern civilization that such primitive races as the Aborigines of Australia, have reproduced for
generation after generation through many centuries-no one knows for how many thousands of
years-without the development of a conspicuous number of irregularities of the dental arches. Yet,
in the next generation after these people adopt the foods of the white man, a large percentage of
the children developed irregularities of the dental arches with conspicuous facial deformities. The
deformity patterns are similar to those seen in white civilizations. Typical illustrations of this will be
seen in Figs. 55 and 56. Severe deformities of the face were frequently seen in the modernized
groups, as evidenced in Fig. 57.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 108/250FIG. 55. It is remarkable that regardless of race or color the
new generations born after the adoption by primitives of
deficient foods develop in general the same facial and dental
arch deformities and skeletal defects. Note the characteristic
narrowing of the dental arches and crowding of the teeth of
this modernized generation of Aborigines and their similarity
to the facial patterns of modern whites. FIG. 56. The disturbance in facial growth is often so serious
as to make normal breathing through the nose very difficult. This is primarily due to faulty development of the maxillary
bones. 7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 109/250FIG. 57. Deformity patterns produced in the modernized
Aborigines of Australia by white men's food. Note the
undershot mandible, upper left, the pinched nostrils and
facial deformity of all four. The data obtained from a study of the native Australians who are located in a reservation near
Sydney, at LeParouse, revealed that among the Aborigines 47.5 per cent of the teeth had been
attacked by dental caries, and 40 per cent of the individuals had abnormal dental arches. For the
women of this group, 81.3 per cent of all the teeth had been attacked by dental caries, and for the
men, 60.4 per cent, and for the children, 16.5 per cent. In this group 100 per cent of the
individuals were affected by dental caries. Palm Island is a government reservation situated in the ocean about fifty miles from the
mainland, off the east coast of Australia, about two-thirds of the way up the coast. It was reached
by a government launch. Included in the population of this reservation are a large number of adults
who have been moved from various districts on the mainland of Central and Eastern Australia and
many children who were born either before or after their parents were moved to this reservation. The food available on the Island is almost entirely that provided by the government. Of ninety-eight
individuals examined and measured, 53.1 per cent of them had dental caries. For the group as a
whole, 8.9 per cent of all of the teeth were affected; for the women, 21.2 per cent; for the men,
14.2 per cent; and for the children, 5.8 per cent. Fifty per cent of the children had deformed dental
arches, which occurred in only 11 per cent of the adults. Cape Bedford is situated about three-fourths of the way up the east coast and is so isolated that
it was necessary for us to use a special aeroplane to reach it. Landing was made on the beach. This group of people is under the management of a German Lutheran missionary. They are
dependent almost entirely on the food provided by the mission and the government. The official in
charge had spent fifty years in devoted service to these native people. We found him exceedingly
sad because of the very rapid breakdown that was in progress among the natives in his care. The
dental caries for the group of eighty-three individuals studied was 12.4 per cent of their 2,176
teeth examined. For the women, this amounted to 37.2 per cent of the teeth; for the men, 8.4 per
cent; and for the children, 6.1 per cent. Of the eighty-three individuals, 48.1 per cent had been
affected by dental caries. Many of the adults in this group had been born on plantations under the
influence of the modern nutrition, and many of the children had been born in the mission. For the
adults, 46 per cent had abnormally formed dental arches, and for the children, 41.6 per cent. We
were advised that deaths occurred very frequently from tuberculosis. This reservation does not
provide the natives with natural hunting grounds capable of providing the people with animal life for7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 110/250food. The coast for some distance inland is a series of sand dunes which are slowly being
transferred over the vegetation by wind, completely smothering it. While the coast is well supplied
with a variety of deep-water fish the natives have practically no equipment for obtaining them, a
condition which restricts them very largely to the use of the imported foods supplied by the
officials. Our next stop, using the special aeroplane, was at Lockhart River, which is about four-fifths of
the way up the east coast of Australia. Here again we were able to land on the beach near a large
group of primitive Aborigines. The isolation here is so nearly complete that they are dependent
upon the sea and the land for their foods. This part of Australia, namely, the York Peninsula, is still
so primitive that there has been very little encroachment by the white population. It will be
remembered that in this area there are no roads, the country being a primitive wilderness. Of fifty-
eight individuals examined, their 1,784 teeth revealed that only 4.3 per cent had been attacked by
dental caries. For the women, this amounted to 3.4 per cent; for the men, 6.1 per cent; and for the
children, 3.2 per cent. Some of these men had at some time worked on cattle ranches for the white
men. Of the children, only 6.3 per cent had abnormal dental arches, and of the adults, 8.7 per
cent. In this group, therefore, 91.4 per cent of all ages had reproduced the typical racial pattern as
compared with 56 per cent of the group at Cape Bedford, 62 per cent of the group at Palm
Island, and 60 per cent at LeParouse. At Lockhart River, 32.7 per cent of the individuals had
dental caries. A reservation called Cowall Creek on the west side of York Peninsula situated on the Gulf of
Carpenteria, was reached by flying our special plane to Horn Island in the Torres Strait north of
Australia and proceeding from there by boat to Thursday Island, and on, by boat, to Cowall
Creek. In this reservation thirty-five individuals were studied and found to be in a very pathetic
condition. We were told that deaths occurred frequently. Of the 976 teeth examined, 24.6 per
cent had been attacked by tooth decay. For the women, this amounted to 60.7 per cent; for the
men, 30.4 per cent; and for the children, 8.9 per cent. Forty-nine and six-tenths per cent of the
individuals studied had abnormal dental arches. Of the children 66.6 per cent had deformed dental
arches, and 9 per cent of the adults. Many of these adults had been raised in the bush. Of the
individuals studied, 68.6 per cent had had dental caries. One can scarcely visualize, without
observing it, the distress of a group of primitive people situated as these people are, compelled to
live in a very restricted area, forced to live on food provided by the government, while they are
conscious that if they could return to their normal habits of life they would regain their health and
again enjoy life. Many individuals were seen with abscessing teeth. One girl with a fistula exuding
pus on the outside of her face is shown in Fig. 58 (upper right). In their native life where they could
get the foods that keep them well and preserve their teeth, they had no need for dentists. Now
they have need, but have no dentists. It is easy to chide and blame the officials who provide them
with the modernized foods under which they are breaking, but it must be remembered that
practically all modern civilizations are more or less in the same plight themselves.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 111/250FIG. 58. Aborigines in Australia living on a reservation. The
boy at the upper left has suppurating tubercular axillary
glands. The girl at the upper right has pus running to the
outside of her face from an abscessed tooth. The boy whose
legs are shown at the lower left has a badly deformed body
from malnutrition. The girl at the lower right has tubercular
glands of the neck. An opportunity was provided for examining a group of the native Aborigines of Australia who
made up the crew of eighteen for a pearl-fishing boat. Of this group, 5.7 per cent of their 554 teeth
had been attacked by tooth decay. These individuals could be readily divided into two groups;
namely, those who had been raised in the Bush and those who had been raised in missions. For the
thirteen raised in the Bush, not a single tooth of their 364 teeth had ever been attacked by tooth
decay and not a single individual had deformed dental arches. In contrast with this, of the five
raised in the mission, 19.3 per cent of their 140 teeth had been attacked by tooth decay and 40
per cent of these individuals had abnormal dental arches. The cook on the government boat was an aboriginal Australian from Northern Australia. He had
been trained on a military craft as a dietitian. Nearly all his teeth were lost. It is of interest that while
the native Aborigines had relatively perfect teeth, this man who was a trained dietitian for the
whites had lost nearly all his teeth from tooth decay and pyorrhea. In the group of Aborigines so far reported, there were many who had come from the interior
districts of Australia and many who had always lived near the coast. These two types of districts
provided quite different types of foods. Those near the coast were able to obtain animal life from
the sea, including fish, dugong or sea cow, a great variety of shell fish, and some sea plants. Those
from the interior districts could not obtain animal life of the sea, but did obtain animal life of the
land which was eaten with their plant foods in each case. It was quite important to reach a group
of Aborigines who had always lived inland and who were on a reservation inland. This contact was
made with the group at a government reservation called Cherbourg. A typical group of individuals
was examined. Of forty-five individuals with 1,236 teeth, 42.5 per cent of the teeth had been
attacked by tooth decay. For the women, this constituted 43.7 per cent; for the men, 64.6 per
cent; and for the children, 5.6 per cent. Of all of the individuals here examined 64.5 per cent had
dental caries. It is of interest that many of these men had worked on white men's cattle ranches. While the adults showed 11.7 per cent to have deformed dental arches, this rose to 50 per cent
for the children of the group. We were informed that in all of these groups tuberculosis was taking
a very heavy toll. In Fig. 58, upper left, will be seen a boy with a superating tubercular gland of the
axilla; at the right, a girl with a fistula draining pus onto the outside of the face from an abscessed7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 112/250tooth; below, deformed legs and a girl with tubercular glands of the neck. A reservation situated on the coast where sea foods were available might be expected to make
available a particular type of nutrition through sea foods. The individuals in a reservation for the
Aborigines at Tweed Heads, which is so situated, were studied. Of the twenty-seven individuals
examined, 89 per cent had dental caries. Of their 774 teeth, 39.7 per cent had been attacked by
dental caries. For the women, this amounted to 62.5 per cent; for the men, 70.9 per cent; and for
the children, 20.8 per cent. Most of these children had been born in this environment while their
parents were being fed, largely, the foods provided by the government and mission. In this group,
83.4 per cent of the children had deformed dental arches, and 33.3 per cent of the adults. An interesting incident was brought to my attention in one of the Australian reservations where
the food was practically all supplied by the government. I was told by the director in charge, and in
further detail by the other officials, that a number of native babies had become ill while nursing from
their mothers. Some had died. By changing the nutrition to a condensed whole milk product, the
babies recovered. When placed back on their mother's breast food they again became ill. The
problem was: Why was not their mothers' milk adequate? I was later told by the director of a
condition that had developed in the pen of the reservation's hogs which were kept to use up the
scraps and garbage from the reservation's kitchens. He reported that one after another the hogs
went down with a type of paralysis and could not get up. The symptoms were suggestively like
vitamin A deficiency in both the babies and the hogs, and indicated the treatment. The rapid degeneration of the Australian Aborigines after the adoption of the government's
modern foods provides a demonstration that should be infinitely more convincing than animal
experimentation. It should be a matter not only of concern but deep alarm that human beings can
degenerate physically so rapidly by the use of a certain type of nutrition, particularly the dietary
products used so generally by modern civilization. The child life among the Aborigines of Australia proved to be exceedingly interesting. Children
develop independence very young and learn very early to take care of themselves. Mothers are
very affectionate and show great concern when their children are not thriving. Two typical mothers
with their children are shown in Fig. 59. These children, as suggested in the picture, were keenly
interested in everything that I did, but were not alarmed or frightened. FIG. 59. Typical Aborigine mothers with their children. The wonderful wisdom of these primitive people was attested by the principal of the public7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 113/250school at Palm Island. A mother died and her nursing infant was taken care of by its maternal
grandmother, who had not recently given birth to a child. She proceeded to carry out the primitive
formula for providing breast food by artificial means. Her method was to make an ointment of the
fresh bodies of an insect which made its nest in the leaves of a certain tree. This she rubbed on her
breast and in a short time produced milk liberally for this foster child. I was shown the type of
insect, photographed its nest and the colony inside when the nest was opened. The people who
vouched for this circumstance declared that they had seen the entire procedure and knew the facts
to be as stated. They further stated that this was common knowledge among the Aborigines. Another important source of information regarding the Aborigines of Australia was provided by
a study of the skeletal material and skulls in the museums at Sydney and Canberra, particularly the
former. I do not know the number of skulls that are available there for study, but it is very large. I
examined many and found them remarkably uniform in design and quality. The dental arches were
splendidly formed. The teeth were in excellent condition with exceedingly little dental caries. A
characteristic of these skulls was the evidence of a shortage of material for those that had been
transferred to a museum from the interior arid plains country. Those skulls, however, that had
come from coastal areas where sea foods were available, show much more massive dimensions of
the general pattern. In Fig. 60 will be seen typical skulls showing the normal dental arches and
general design of the head. It is of interest to note the very heavy orbital ridges which characterize
this race. FIG. 60. The buried skulls throughout Australia provide a
dependable record of their physical excellence and splendid
facial and dental arch forms. In the lower pictures are shown
the skull dome of a typical Australian Aborigine for
comparison with that of the recently discovered Peking man
who possibly lived a million years ago. I have previously referred to a report by Professor Weidenreich regarding the resemblance of
the Australian native's skulls to those of the recently discovered Peking man in the caves of China. In Fig. 60 are two views for comparison. The skull at the left is that of an Australian primitive
photographed in a museum in Sydney, and an outline of the Peking skull is shown at the right. Professor Weidenreich has emphasized the observations that when three skulls are put in series,
namely, the Australian primitive, the Peking skull and a chimpanzee skull, the Peking skull appears
to be about half way between the two in design and developmental order. The Australian
primitive's skull is higher in the crown, showing much greater brain capacity. The supra-orbital
depressions are less deep in the Peking than in the chimpanzee, and still less deep in the Australian
primitive. The supra-orbital ridges which produce the prominent eyebrows are less pronounced in7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 114/250the Australian primitive than in the Peking man, and still more prominent in the chimpanzee. The
prominent supra-orbital ridges of the chimpanzee face are shown in Fig. 48. The age of the Peking skulls has been variously placed from several hundred thousand to a
million years. A distinguished anthropologist has stated that the Australian primitives are the only
people living on the earth today that could be part of the first race of mankind. It is a matter of
concern that if a scale were extended a mile long and the decades represented by inches, there
would apparently be more degeneration in the last few inches than in the preceding mile. This gives
some idea of the virulence of the blight contributed by our modern civilization. The foods available for these people are exceedingly limited in variety and quantity, due to the
absence of rains, and unfertility of the soil. For plant foods they used roots, stems, leaves, berries
and seeds of grasses and a native pea eaten with tissues of large and small animals. The large
animals available are the kangaroo and wallaby. Among the small animals they have a variety of
rodents, insects, beetles and grubs, and wherever available various forms of animal life from the
rivers and oceans. Birds and birds' eggs are used where available. They are able to balance their
rations to provide the requisites for splendid body building and body repair. In several parts of
Australia, which originally supported a large population of the primitives, none are left except a few
score in reservations. These also are rapidly disappearing. Their fertility has been so greatly
reduced that the death rate far exceeds the birth rate. This group provides evidence of exceptional efficiency in obeying the laws of Nature through
thousands of years, even in a parched land that is exceedingly inhospitable because of the scant
plant foods for either men or animals. While the Aborigines are credited with being the oldest race
on the face of the earth today, they are dying out with great rapidity wherever they have changed
their native nutrition to that of the modern white civilization. For them this is not a matter of choice,
but rather of necessity, since in a large part of Australia the few that are left are crowded into
reservations where they have little or no access to native foods and are compelled to live on the
foods provided for them by our white civilization. They demonstrate in a tragic way the inadequacy
of the white man's dietary programs. TABLE OF CONTENTS   
 
Chapter 11
ISOLATED AND MODERNIZED TORRES
STRAIT ISLANDERS
IN STUDYING the relationship between nutrition and physical characteristics, it is important to
make observations at the point of contact with civilization where as few factors as possible in the
environment have been modified by that contact. My previous studies have shown that wherever
groups of people were utilizing sea foods abundantly in connection with land plants including roots,
greens and fruits, they enjoyed fine physical development with uniform reproduction of the racial
pattern and a very high immunity to dental caries. For this particular study we wished to select a
racial group living on islands in tropical or subtropical climate, whose ancestral stocks differed
from those previously observed, and which was located at points of contact with modern
civilization. A high level of excellence might be expected among the groups who were in process of
being modernized but were still utilizing the native foods. For this study the inhabitants of islands north of Australia were chosen in order to record the7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 115/250effect on the Asiatic and Malay stocks at the points of contact of the north with the south and of
the east with the west. In the Torres Strait there are a number of fertile islands supporting
populations of from several hundred to a few thousand individuals each. These groups are in an
area of the sea that is well stocked with sea animal life, and during the past they have been
sufficiently isolated to provide protection. The racial stocks have retained their identities and
include Papuans, New Guineans, Mobuiags, Arakuns, Kendals and Yonkas. The splendid dental
arches of these groups will be seen in the various illustrations. Many of the girls are quite
prepossessing, as may be seen in Fig. 61. FIG. 61. The inhabitants of the islands north of Australia
have splendidly built bodies with fine facial and dental arch
form. With the valuable assistance of the officials of the Australian Government we were able to make
investigations on several islands in the Torres Strait. The local administrator provided us with a
government boat and personal introductions to the local chief and local representatives of the
government. We were accompanied by the administrator and by the general manager of the
government stores. These stores have been located on the various islands, and the profit derived
from them is used for administrative expenses of the government. They provide modern clothing in
addition to foods, chiefly white flour, polished rice, canned goods, and sugar. Studies were made
on the various islands in the order in which the stores had been installed on them. It is important to
have in mind the nature of these islands. Some are of volcanic origin and have rugged interiors with
deep bays; others are of coral origin. All are in a zone that is abundantly supplied with sea animal
life, this being the scene of the richest pearl fishing industry in the world.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 116/250    Badu Island had had the store for the longest period, namely twenty-three years. Of the 586
teeth of twenty individuals examined, 20.6 per cent had been attacked by tooth decay. Of the
individuals examined 95 per cent had dental caries. Unfortunately, our stay at this island was
accompanied by a torrential downpour which made it very difficult for us to carry forward our
investigations. Had we been able to examine the mothers the figures doubtless would have been
much higher. The children were examined at the school and showed 18.8 per cent of the teeth to
have been attacked by tooth decay. The men examined showed 21.9 per cent. Figures given me
by Dr. Gibson, who had been taken by the government to the island to make extractions, showed
that he found as high as 60 per cent of the teeth had been attacked by tooth decay. For the
children of this group, 33.3 per cent had abnormal dental arches, whereas only 9.1 per cent of the
adults' arches were abnormally formed. On York Island, 1,876 teeth of sixty-five individuals showed that 12.7 per cent had been
attacked by tooth decay. For the women, this was 20.2 per cent; for the men, 12.1 per cent; and
for the children, 7 per cent. For the children, 47.1 per cent had abnormal dental arches; for the
adults, 27 per cent were affected. The individuals on this island had been in contact with the pearl
fisheries industry for several years. Several of the men had been working on the fishing boat. Of
the sixtyfive individuals examined, 67.6 per cent had dental caries. On Darnley Island, thirty-three individuals showed that of their 900 teeth 5.7 per cent had been
attacked by tooth decay. The store had been established on this island recently. For the women,
16.6 per cent of the teeth had been attacked; for the men, 6.3 per cent; and for the children, 4.1
per cent. On this island, 29.6 per cent of the children showed abnormal dental arches, and 14.3
per cent of the adults. Of the whole group, 46.1 per cent had been attacked by dental caries. On Murray Island where a store had recently been established, of the 1,074 teeth examined for
39 individuals, only 0.7 per cent of the teeth had been attacked by tooth decay. For the women,
this amounted to 2 per cent; for the men, 1.7 per cent; and for the children, 0.26 per cent. Only
12.8 per cent of the group had dental caries. It is significant that the natives were conscious of a
danger from the presence on the island of a store providing imported foods. This had been so
serious a problem that there was a question whether it would be safe for us to land, since on the
last visit of the government officials, blood was almost shed because of the opposition of the
natives to the government s program. The result of our examination indicates that dental caries on
these islands shows an incidence which has an apparent direct relationship to the length of time
government stores have been established there. The immunity to dental caries on this island is
nearly 100 per cent. Of the adults, 14.3 per cent had abnormal dental arches, and of the children,
34.4 per cent. Thursday Island is the location of the administrative center for the group. Although it is the best
sheltered harbor and affords protection for small boats in the Torres Strait, it was not originally
inhabited by the natives. They considered it unfit for habitation because the soil was so poor that it
could not provide the proper plant foods to be eaten with the sea foods which are abundant about
all of the islands. Nearly all of the whites inhabiting the islands of this district live on this island. They are the families of the administrative officers and of merchants who are engaged in the pearl
industry. Owing to the infertility of the soil, practically all of the food has to be shipped in except
the little that the whites obtain from the sea. On the island there were many native families, with
children attending the native school, while their fathers worked in the pearling fleets. Thirty
individuals in three fleets were examined, and of their 960 teeth only thirty-five had been attacked
by dental caries, or 3.6 per cent. Of these thirty individuals, five, or 16.3 per cent had abnormal
dental arches. The men who had teeth attacked by dental caries informed me that this had
happened after they had engaged on the pearling vessels and began to use the foods provided
there. In the native school on Thursday Island twenty-three children were examined. They were
living in homes in which a considerable part of the food was purchased at the company stores. The
incidence of tooth decay was 12.2 per cent of their 664 teeth. Many of these Thursday Island
children had been born since their parents had begun using the commercial foods provided to the
islanders. Among twenty-three individuals, 43.5 per cent had abnormal dental arches.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 117/250    While these investigations were planned and carried out primarily to obtain data on the condition
of the native races in contact with modern white civilization, wherever possible, data were obtained
on the whites also. In a school for whites on Thursday Island, fifty children were examined with
regard to their dental arches, but an embarrassing situation was encountered with regard to the
sensitiveness of the whites in the matter of having their children examined for dental caries. Figures
were obtained for the facial development which reveal that, out of the fifty children examined, 64
per cent had irregularities of facial and dental arch development. In the upper half of Fig. 62, will
be seen a group of children photographed in the native school, and in the lower a group of white
girls photographed at the white school. The difference in their facial development is readily seen. The son of the white teacher (Fig. 66, left) had marked under development of his face. The white
population lived largely on canned food. FIG. 62. School children from the two groups on Thursday
Island. Note the beautifully proportioned faces of the
natives, and the pinched nostrils and marked disturbance in
proportions of the faces of the whites. The dental arches of
the natives are broad, while many of the whites have very
crowded teeth. The parents and children of the natives used
native foods while the parents and children of the whites
used the modern imported foods of commerce. 7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 118/250    Hammond Island adloins Thursday Island sufficiently close by to be easily reached in small
boats. Accordingly, the people of this island have access to the stores of the white settlement on
Thursday Island. Unlike Thursday Island, Hammond Island is quite fertile. Of twenty-seven
individuals, all of native stock, 16.5 per cent of their 732 teeth had been attacked by dental caries,
and 40 per cent of the individuals showed some deformity of the dental arches. After examining the
children at the mission school, I inquired whether there were not families on the island that were
living entirely isolated from contact with modern influences. I was taken to the far side of the island
to an isolated family. This family had continued to live on their own resources. They were raising
vegetables including bananas, pumpkins, and pawpaws. In the cases of the three girls in the family,
one with a child five months of age, only six of their eighty-four teeth had been attacked by tooth
decay, or 7.1 per cent, as compared with 16.5 per cent for the entire group on this island. These
three girls all had normally developed dental arches and normal features. Three of the girls are
shown in Fig. 63. We inquired about the mother and were told that she was out fishing,
notwithstanding the fact that the sea was quite rough. While we were there, she came in with two
fish (Fig. 63). Here was one of the principal secrets of their happiness and success in life. The
Catholic priest who had charge of the mission on this island told me that this family practically
never asked for assistance of any kind, and was always in a position to help others. They were
happy and well nourished. It is important to note that the progressive degeneration in facial form
which occurred in many of the families on the other islands was not found in this family. FIG. 63. These pictures tell an interesting story. The
grandmother shown in the lower right knew the importance
of sea food for her children and grandchildren and did the
fishing herself. Note the beautiful teeth and well formed
faces of her daughters. The incidence of dental caries ranged from 20.6 per cent of all of the teeth examined for the
various age groups on Badu Island to 0.7 per cent, on Murray Island. A group of individuals from
this island will be seen in Fig. 64. Note the remarkable width of the dental arches. Note also in this
connection that the natives of this island are conscious of the superior food of their locality and
wish that their people were not required to purchase food from the government store. The island is
situated on the Barrier Reef and has an abundant supply of small fish. The swarms of fish are often
so dense that the natives throw a spear with several prongs into the school of fish and when the
spear is drawn back, there are several fish on it. This condition provides abundant food for sharks
many of which could be seen surrounding the schools of small fish. Encircling the group, they
dashed in, mouths open and gorged themselves with the mass of fish from the water. It seemed
quite remarkable that the people were willing to go into the water to spear the fish within the zone7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 119/250frequently approached by the sharks, but I was told by the natives that when the fish are so
abundant the sharks never attack human beings. One of the natives rowed me in his canoe to a
point where I could photograph the sharks at close range. To show his disdain for the shark, he
had no hesitancy in standing up in the end of the canoe and hurling his spear into the side of the
monster. The spear was immediately thrown out by the shark, which had not been frightened
sufficiently to make it leave the scene of action. The sharks in my pictures were swimming so close
to the shore that the upper part of the tail was forced out of the water, also the back fin, in order to
clear the bottom. It was a great revelation to watch the movement of the tail. Instead of swinging it
from side to side like other fish, with which I was familiar, the shark would rotate its tail half or
three quarters of a turn in a motion like that of a propeller of a boat, then reverse the motion for the
return trip. By a sudden increase of speed in this motion, the shark could dart ahead at a rapid
rate, corral the small fish by encircling them, and finally make a dash through the school with its
mouth open. Hundreds of the small fish, in order to escape, dart out of the water into the air. This
exposes them to the birds, a flock of which follows the sharks when they are feeding on the fish. The birds dive down at the time they see the shark making his raid and catch the small fish as they
dart out of the water. It is by the birds of prey that the native fishermen from their lookout locate
the schools of fish. While there is a difference of opinion as to whether some species of shark will
attack human beings, we saw one pearl diver who bore enormous scars received from the jaws of
a shark. FIG. 64. Natives on the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. The
dental arches here teach a high degree of excellence. The procedure on one island is to snare the sharks by calling them by means of special sounds
made by clapping together two large half shells on the surface of the water. This attracts the shark,
and then the men one at a time go into the water with a sharp stick with which they guard
themselves against attack. A noose made of rope of coconut fiber is slipped over the shark's head
and over the back fin. It is then allowed to tire out and is brought to shore. It was not unusual in a
good season for the shark fishers to bring in three or four in a night's fishing. The strength of the
native swimmers is almost beyond belief. The pearling boats are frequently in great danger of being
dashed to pieces on a coral reef, since in those waters gales of fifty miles an hour are frequent. We
experienced some such gales. On one occasion, when a pearling boat was wrecked some distance
from an exposed rock, one strong swimmer rescued and helped two dozen of the crew to the
rock, and was himself rescued after being in the water continuously for thirty-two hours. The
pearling boats feed their crew largely on commercial provisions. When the men have been
continuously on the boats for one or two years, or often when they have been at sea using this
food for six months, they have rampant tooth decay. When the cavities approach or reach the pulp7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 120/250chambers the pain produced in the teeth by the high pressure in deep water produces such agony
that they often have to give up pearling. Physical characteristics of all these residents of the Torres Strait Islands, regardless of their tribal
group, were, sturdy development throughout their bodies, broad dental arches, and for all of those
who had always lived only on their native food, a close proximity to one hundred per cent
immunity to dental caries. These men are natural mariners. They do not hesitate to make long trips
even in rough seas in their homemade crafts. They have an uncanny skill in determining the location
of invisible coral reefs. They relate the height of the swell as it rolls over the reef to particular color
tones in the water, all of which were too vague for me to see even when they were pointed out. Among the inhabitants of the Torres Strait Islands, almost all individuals who had been born
before the foods of modern civilization had become available were found to have dental arches
normal in form. In many families, however, living on islands where a store had been established for
some time, and on Thursday Island where imported foods had been available for several decades,
many individuals were found who had been born since the use of imported foods. They had gross
deformities of the dental arches. This fact is illustrated in Fig. 65 in which typical depression of the
laterals and narrowing of the upper arch and abnormal prominence of the cuspids due to the lack
of space for the normal eruption may be seen. The facial deformity in two white boys is seen in
Fig. 66. Rampant tooth decay in white children is shown in Fig. 67. FIG. 65. The contrast between the primitive and modernized
natives in facial and dental arch form is as striking here as
elsewhere. These young natives were born to parents who
had adopted our modern foods of commerce. Note the
narrowed faces and dental arches with pinched nostrils and
crowding of the teeth. Their magnificent heredity could not
protect them. 7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 121/250FIG. 66. These children are from the white colony on
Thursday Island. Note the pinched nostrils and deformed
dental arches with crowding of the teeth. The boy at the left
is a mouth breather. FIG. 67. As everywhere these whites prefer the modernized
foods and pay the penalty in rampant tooth decay. They are
in pathetic contrast with the superb unspoiled natives. They
are within reach of some of the best foods to be found
anywhere in the world and yet do not use them; a typical
characteristic of modern whites. We are particularly concerned with data that will throw light on the nature of the forces
responsible for the production of these deformities. Since they do not appear to their full extent
until the eruption of the permanent teeth as part of the development of the adult, it is easy for the
abnormality to be ascribed to the period of child growth. As a result, it has been related to faulty
breathing habits, thumb sucking, posture, or sleeping habits, of the child. It would be difficult to find a more happy and contented people than the primitives in the Torres
Strait Islands as they lived without contact with modern civilization. Indeed, they seem to resent
very acutely the modern intrusion. They not only have nearly perfect bodies, but an associated
personality and character of a high degree of excellence. One is continually impressed with
happiness, peace and health while in their congenial presence.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 122/250    These people are not lazy, but they do not struggle over hard to obtain food. Necessities that
are not readily at hand they do not have. Their home life reaches a very high ideal and among them
there is practically no crime. In their native state they have exceedingly little disease. Dr. J. R. Nimmo, the government
physician in charge of the supervision of this group, told me in his thirteen years with them he had
not seen a single case of malignancy, and had seen only one that he had suspected might be
malignancy among the entire four thousand native population. He stated that during this same
period he had operated several dozen malignancies for the white population, which numbers about
three hundred. He reported that among the primitive stock other affections requiring surgical
interference were rare. The environment of the Torres Strait Islanders provides a very liberal supply of sea foods and
fertile islands on which an adequate quantity of tropical plants are readily grown. Taro, bananas,
papaya, and plums are all grown abundantly. The sea foods include large and small fish in great
abundance, dugong, and a great variety of shellfish. These foods have developed for them
remarkable physiques with practically complete immunity to dental caries. Wherever they have
adopted the white man's foods, however, they suffer the typical expressions of degeneration, such
as, loss of immunity to dental caries; and in the succeeding generations there is a marked change in
facial and dental arch form with marked lowering of resistance to disease. TABLE OF CONTENTS   
 
Chapter 12
ISOLATED AND MODERNIZED NEW ZEALAND MAORI
BECAUSE of the fine reputation of the racial stock in its primitive condition, it was with
particular interest that studies were made in New Zealand. Pickerill (1) has made a very extensive
study of the New Zealand Maori, both by examination of the skulls and by examination of the
relatively primitive living Maori. He states:
    In an examination of 250 Maori skulls--all from an uncivilized age--I found carious teeth
present in only two skulls or 0.76 per cent. By taking the average of Mummery's and my own
investigations, the incidence of caries in the Maori is found to be 1.2 per cent in a total of 326
skulls. This is lower even than the Esquimaux, and shows the Maori to have been the most
immune race to caries, for which statistics are available. Comparing these figures with those applicable to the present time, we find that the
descendants of the Britons and Anglo-Saxons are afflicted with dental caries to the extent of 86
per cent to 98 per cent; and after examining fifty Maori school children living under European
conditions entirely, I found that 95 per cent of them had decayed teeth. It will be noted that the basis of computation in the above is percentage of individuals with
caries. I am using in addition to these figures the percentage of teeth attacked by dental caries. Expressed in percentage of teeth affected the figure for Pickerill's group would be 0.05 or 1 in
2,000 teeth. We were deeply indebted to the government officials in New Zealand for their invaluable
assistance. In anticipation of making these studies I had been in correspondence with the officials
for over two years. When we arrived at Auckland, New Zealand, on our way to Australia, our
ship was in port for one day. We were met by Colonel Saunders, Director of Oral Hygiene in the7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 123/250New Zealand Department of Public Health who had been sent from the capitol at Wellington to
offer assistance. A personal representative of the Government was sent as guide, and
transportation to the various Maori settlements in which we wished to make our studies was
provided. New Zealand is setting a standard for the world in the care of growing children as well as in
many other health problems. A large percentage of the schools in New Zealand are provided with
dental service. A specially trained woman was in charge of the work in each school under Colonel
Saunders' supervision.
Nutrition_and_Physical_Degeneration_by_Weston_Price.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        If we think of Nature's calendar as one in
which centuries are days and civilizations are years, the part current events are playing in the
history of a great continent like Africa may be mere incidents. This much we do know that throughout the world some remnants of several primitive racial
stocks have persisted to this day even in very exacting environments and only by such could they
have been protected. In my studies of these several racial stocks I find that it is not accident but accumulated wisdom
regarding foods that lies behind their physical excellence and freedom from our modern
degenerative processes, and, further, that on various sides of our world the primitive people know
many of the things that are essential for life-things that our modern civilizations apparently do not
know. These are the fundamental truths of life that have put them in harmony with Nature through
obeying her nutritional laws. Whence this wisdom. Was there in the distant past a world civilization
that was better attuned to Nature's laws and have these remnants retained that knowledge. If this
is not the explanation, it must be that these various primitive racial stocks have been able through a
superior skill in interpreting cause and effect, to determine for themselves what foods in their
environment are best for producing human bodies with a maximum of physical fitness and
resistance to degeneration. Primitive native races of eastern and central Africa have in their native state a very high immunity
to dental caries, ranging from 0 to less than 1 per cent of the teeth affected for many of the tribes. Where modernized, however, the incidence increased to 12. 1 per cent. In the matter of facial deformity thirteen tribes out of twenty-seven studied presented so high a
standard of excellence that not a single individual in the group was found with deformed dental
arches. Their nutrition varied according to their location, but always provided an adequate quantity of
body-building and repairing material, even though much effort was required to obtain some of the
essential food factors. Many tribes practiced feeding girls special foods for an extended period
before marriage. Spacing of children was provided by a system of plural wives. REFERENCES
1. GORER, G. Africa Dances. N. Y. , Knopf, 1935. 2. SAUVAGE, M. Les secrets de l'Afrique Noire. Intransigeant, July-Aug. , 1934. 3. BROWNE, G. The Vanishing Tribes of Kenya. London, Seeley Service, 1925. 7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg. net. au/ebooks02/0200251h. html#toc 102/250  
TABLE OF CONTENTS    
 
Chapter 10
ISOLATED AND MODERNIZED AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES
OUR problem of throwing light upon the cause of the physical breakdown of our modern
civilization, with special consideration of tooth decay and facial deformity, requires a critical
examination of individuals living in as wide a range of physical conditions as may be possible. This
requires that the Aborigines of Australia be included in this examination of human reactions to
physical environments. These were studied in 1936. In selecting the individuals in the various groups special effort was made to include children
between the ages of ten and sixteen years in order to have an opportunity to observe and record
the condition of the dental arches after the permanent teeth had erupted. This was necessary
because the deciduous dentition or first set of teeth may be in normal position in the arches with a
correct relationship between the arches, and the permanent dentition show marked irregularity. The shape of the dental arches of the infant at birth and the teeth that are to take their place in the
arches have considerable of their calcification at birth. The development of the adult face,
however, does not occur until the permanent teeth have erupted. The general shape or pattern is
largely influenced by the position and direction of the eruption of the permanent teeth. These
studies, accordingly, have included a careful, detailed record of the shape of the dental arch of
each individual. The Australian Aborigines constitute one of the most unique primitive races that have come out
of the past into our modern times and they are probably the oldest living race. We are particularly
concerned with those qualities that have made possible their survival and cultural development. The Aborigines are of special interest because they have come out of a very distant past and are
associated with animal life which is unique in being characterized as a living museum preserved
from the dawn of animal life on the earth. Many of the animal species that are abundant in Australia
are found only in fossil form on other continents. The evidence indicates that they crossed on a
land bridge which connected Australia with Asia. After the bridge was submerged the animals
persisted in that protected island continent which never has known any of the animal species of
later development. Among these animals the marsupials play an important role and constitute a
large variety. The American continent has only one or two of the many forms found in Australia. These are the opossum of the marsupial family and the sloth. One of the most curious animals living
on the earth today, or that has left its remains in the petrified skeletons of early periods of the
earth's history, is the duckbill platypus. It has the unique distinction of having the characteristics of
several animal species. It lays eggs like a bird and hatches them with the heat of its body in its
pouch. It has webbed, five-toed feet, like the water birds, a bill like a duck and hair and tail like a
beaver. The typical marsupial pouch for carrying its young, is another characteristic of this strange
animal. Like other mammals it provides milk for its young. Its milk is similar in chemical
constituents to that of other mammals. Most rudimentary in form are the mammary glands of the
platypus. The young, when hatched in the pouch, nuzzle the lining membrane of the pouch and the
milk exudes through minute openings. There is no nipple. The animal lives chiefly in the water. Its
home is built above the water level on the bank, but the entrance to it is underneath the water. They are exceedingly playful creatures, apparently more at home in the water than on land. They
live on both animal life and plant food found under the water. They seem to be related to an early
era of differentiation of animal species.
The author believes that the current events in the history of a great continent like Africa may be mere incidents.
What is the author's perspective on the role of current events in the history of a great continent like Africa?
The dental health of the Aborigines in the Palm Island group is remarkable, as 100% of the individuals had dental caries.
What is remarkable about the dental health of the Aborigines in the Palm Island group?
The incidence of dental caries is significantly higher in Aborigines who have adopted the white man's foods, as compared to those who have always lived on their native foods.
What is the difference in the incidence of dental caries between the Aborigines who have always lived on their native foods and those who have adopted the white man's foods?
The author believes that the Aborigines' ability to see many things essential for life that our modern civilization does not know is a demonstration of their wisdom and harmony with Nature's laws.
What is the significance of the Aborigines' ability to see many things essential for life that our modern civilization does not know?
The author concludes that the study of the Aborigines' nutrition and physical development provides a demonstration of the importance of adhering to Nature's laws and the devastating effects of adopting modern foods on the body.
What is the author's conclusion about the importance of the study of the Aborigines' nutrition and physical development?