The Vitamin A Story : Lifting the Shadow of Death

The Vitamin A Story : Lifting the Shadow of Death

Public health

Nutrition

Medicine

This book shows how vitamin A deficiency – before the vitamin was known to scientists – affected millions of people throughout history. It is a story of sailors and soldiers, penniless mothers, orphaned infants, and young children left susceptible to blindness and fatal infections. We also glimpse the fortunate ones who, with ample vitamin A-rich food, escaped this elusive stalker. Why were people going blind and dying? To unravel this puzzle, scientists around the world competed over the course of a century. Their persistent efforts led to the identification of vitamin A and its essential role in health. As a primary focus of today’s international public health efforts, vitamin A has saved hundreds of thousands of lives. But, we discover, they could save many more were it not for obstacles erected by political and ideological zealots who lack a historical perspective of the problem.

Semba, Richard D. (editor)

http://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/25853

Karger

2012-01-01

Shiefti Dyah

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode

PDF

English

Textbooks

10.1159/isbn.978-3-318-02189

ISBN 9783318021899

Public Health