The prosperity of a nation depends on the health of the children. Health, as defined by WHO is ?the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.? Heath is the nutritional status of an individual as influenced by his utilisation of the nutrients. Nutrients are the chemical substances found in food and these act, interact and balance health and disease which in turn affect the person'spower of digestion, absorption and utilisation of nutrients.
Food contains nutrients which supply energy, build and maintain the tissues and organs and help the body in homeostasis. In this book, the various nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water are discussed while the animal and plant sources of proteins, carbohydrates and fats and their sources are listed out. The author talks of the children who get the food they need to become healthy individuals and of underdeveloped children who due to lack of absence of food suffer from diseases like kwashiorkor and marasmus.
The population of India comprises a large number of primitive tribes who subsist on hunting, fishing or by consuming simple forms of vegetables, roots and fruits. Though the tribes have been divided and subdivided into a large number of sub-tribes.
In all there are over 400 Scheduled Tribes constituting seven per cent of the country'svast population. They principally inhabit the north-east, the central region and the southern region including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
In this study of hers, the author has selected 513 children tribal and non-tribal groups from the Basia block in Gumla district of Bihar. The children were divided into six groups -from birth to six years. Nearly 177 male tribal and 159 female tribal children were examined. She studied the practice and age for breastfeeding of children and the time of their weaning which affected their weight.
This is a study which will have mainly a subject-specific readership. Moreover the language is not very satisfactory, the spellings are atrocious and the manuscript needs to be edited.
(Classical Publishing Company, 128 Shopping Centre, Karampura, New Delhi-110015.)
?M.G.
