The Influence of Diet on Pregnancy and Lactation in the Mother, the Growth and Viability of the Foetus, and Post-Natal Development. Part 1. Pregnancy

Abstract

The chairman (Prof. GARRY), in opening this meeting in December, 1942, said (that pregnancy is a natural process, but it is also a strain on the maternal organism, metabolically as well as physically. The factor of safety with which the human body is endowed in all its activities may be exceeded, so that latent deficiencies may become apparent during pregnancy.HUGGETT, in a paper on " The Role of the Placenta in fetal Nutrition, " briefly described the varying types of placenta in different animals, and indicated how this variation influenced the passage of metabolites. The greater the degree of necrosis of the placenta in late pregnancy, the easier is the transference. It is not clear how the placenta transfers some of the substances that pass across, nor is anything known of the factors determining the necrosis. Maternal nutrition influences the birth weight of the fetus only if it varies widely.SINCLAIR'S paper " The Evidence for Nutritional Deficiencies in Pregnancy " summarized what was known or believed about the subject. Probably the most common deficiencies are of iron, calcium, protein and vitamins A and C.BAIRD spoke on " The Effect of Maternal Diet on the- Viability of the fetus in Human Beings. A Review of the Present State of our Knowledge." There is some evidence from direct observations on women, that deficient diet during the antenatal period will increase the incidence of stillbirth and neonatal mortality. The planning and conditions of none of the published surveys have been entirely satisfactory, and more direct evidence is required. GODDEN reviewed the same subject in animals, where little accurate information exists on fetal and infant mortality. He gave the known facts both for farm animals and for laboratory animals.LEITCH'S paper on " Statistics of Infant Mortality " compared the position in Scotland with other countries, and was presented mainly in the form, of tables. Infant mortality in Scotland is higher than in any country of Western Europe except Spain and Portugal, and much higher than that of such countries as New Zealand, the Netherlands, Australia and Norway. The high rate in Scotland is due chiefly to the persistently high death rate from infections. H. E. Harding.