Nutrition: An Elementary Text

Mary C. Hiltz - 1955

In addition to its standard nutritional information, this book provides detailed instructions on how students might carry out experiments on rats in the classroom, feeding them deficient diets and observing the results. Students might also chloroform the rats, dissect them, and examine their body parts under a microscope. The book was prescribed for use in Alberta junior high home economics classes between 1957 and 1965 (“Alberta School”), though it is unclear how many teachers might have attempted such experiments. With its emphasis on measurable dietary quantities, such as vitamins, minerals, and calories, as well as Canada’s Food Rules and a derivative food chain produced by the Associated Milk Foundation, this book reflects the post-war obsession with public nutrition. Its reference to the Colombo Plan also highlights the political aspects of good nutrition as Canada assumed its place in Cold War global affairs.