The Problem of Nutrition: Experimental Science, Public Health and Economy in Europe 1914-1945

166 Pages·2010·2.782 MB·English

by  Josep Lluis Barona Vilar

The fi rst decades of the 20th century were marked by a crisis. J Josep L. Barona
o
The impact of the Great War, the rise of the workers’ revolu- s
e
tionary movement and the National Socialist expansion as
p The Problem
well as the disaster of the 1929 crash and the great depression of L
.
the 1930s created a landscape of tension, radicalism and political
B
instability. In this context, nutrition emerges as an excellent a
r
ground from which to explore the genesis of experimental knowl- o of Nutrition
n
edge, the social interests involved, and the transfer of knowledge a

and practices to public health, the economy, trade and politics.

T
The exceptional confl uence of all factors infl uencing the interwar h
period contributed to building the problem of nutrition. e
P Experimental Science, Public Health and Economy
This book offers a wide perspective including international agen- r
o in Europe 1914-1945
cies committed to a global approach to defi ne nutritional prob- b
l
lems, agricultural reforms, surveys in different countries and rural e
m
areas, methodological agreements on nutritional standards, the

o
main trends of experimental research, the dreadful impact of the
f

war and some experiments developed in internment camps. The N
author examines nutrition as a cornerstone to show interactions u
t
between science, politics, economy and public health. r
i
t
i
o
n
Josep L. Barona is professor of history of science at the Insti-
tuto de Historia de la Medicina y de la Ciencia (Universidad de
Valencia-CSIC). A specialist on nutrition and public health in
contemporary Europe, his research has been also devoted
during the last decade to state health policies in contemporary
Spain and scientifi c exiles after the Spanish civil war.
P
.I.E
. P
e
ISBN 978-90-5201-582-8 te
r L
a
n
g
P.I.E. Peter Lang
P.I.E. Peter Lang
Brussels www.peterlang.com
The fi rst decades of the 20th century were marked by a crisis. J Josep L. Barona
o
The impact of the Great War, the rise of the workers’ revolu- s
e
tionary movement and the National Socialist expansion as
p The Problem
well as the disaster of the 1929 crash and the great depression of L
.
the 1930s created a landscape of tension, radicalism and political
B
instability. In this context, nutrition emerges as an excellent a
r
ground from which to explore the genesis of experimental knowl- o of Nutrition
n
edge, the social interests involved, and the transfer of knowledge a

and practices to public health, the economy, trade and politics.

T
The exceptional confl uence of all factors infl uencing the interwar h
period contributed to building the problem of nutrition. e
P Experimental Science, Public Health and Economy
This book offers a wide perspective including international agen- r
o in Europe 1914-1945
cies committed to a global approach to defi ne nutritional prob- b
l
lems, agricultural reforms, surveys in different countries and rural e
m
areas, methodological agreements on nutritional standards, the

o
main trends of experimental research, the dreadful impact of the
f

war and some experiments developed in internment camps. The N
author examines nutrition as a cornerstone to show interactions u
t
between science, politics, economy and public health. r
i
t
i
o
n
Josep L. Barona is professor of history of science at the Insti-
tuto de Historia de la Medicina y de la Ciencia (Universidad de
Valencia-CSIC). A specialist on nutrition and public health in
contemporary Europe, his research has been also devoted
during the last decade to state health policies in contemporary
Spain and scientifi c exiles after the Spanish civil war.
P
.I.E
. P
e
te
r L
a
P.I.E. Peter Lang n
g
P.I.E. Peter Lang
Brussels

The Problem of Nutrition
Experimental Science, Public Health
and Economy in Europe 1914-1945
P.I.E. Peter Lang
Bruxelles • Bern • Berlin • Frankfurt am Main • New York • Oxford • Wien

Josep L. BARONA
The Problem of Nutrition
Experimental Science, Public Health
and Economy in Europe 1914-1945
This book has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science
and Technology [Research Project MICIN HAR2008-0012-E].
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photocopy,
microfilm or any other means, without prior written permission from the
publisher. All rights reserved.
P.I.E. PETER LANG S.A.,
Editions scientifiques internationales
Brussels, 2010
1 avenue Maurice, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
[email protected]; www.peterlang.com
Printed in Germany
ISBN 978­3­0352­6003­8
D/2010/5678/11
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barona Vilar, Josep Lluis. The problem of nutrition: experimental science,
public health, and economy in Europe, 1914-1945 / Josep L. Barona.
p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-90-5201-582-8
1. Nutrition--Europe--History--20th century. I. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Nutritional Sciences--history--Europe. 2. History, 20th Century--
Europe. 3. International Cooperation--history--Europe. 4. Nutrition Disorders--
history--Europe. 5. Public Health--history--Europe. 6. Research--history--
Europe. 7. Socioeconomic Factors--Europe. QT 11 GA1 B265p 2010]
TX357.B385 2010 363.8094--dc22 2009050946
CIP also available from the British Library, GB.
Bibliographie information published by "Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek"
"Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek" lists this publication in the "Deutsche National-
bibliografie"; detailed bibliographic data is available an Internet at <http://dnb.d-nb.de>.
Acknowledgements
This book is a result of a research project on nutrition and health
during the first half of the 20th century. I have had the opportunity to
discuss particular aspects such as the role of international agencies or
the rural perspective thanks to conference sessions at Amsterdam,
Bergen and Granada. The author is grateful to Mrs. B. Pejovic, archivist
of the League of Nations Archives (Geneva), Mr. Fabio Ciccarello and
Mr. Giuliano Fregoli, archivists at the Records and Archives Depart-
ment, FAO (Rome), Dr. Rengenier Rittersma, editor of the journal Food
and History, Professors Astri Andresen, Tore Gronlie, Josep Bernabeu,
Mark Harrison, Ximo Guillem and Enrique Perdiguero for valuable
comments and encouragement. Some particular aspects benefited from
discussions at the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine Oxford
and at the Department of Anthropology, History, Cultural Sciences and
Religion, University of Bergen, Norway. I want to thank Elisa Cuenca
for her support on linguistic revisions.
7