Word: kwashiorkor
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...earth and sky) and nagas (dragon spirits who inhabit rivers), but the prevalent Lao tian faith is Buddhism, with its strong emphasis on harming no living creature. Some medical men attribute the lack of aggressiveness among Laotians to disease rather than Buddhism or innate gentleness. Malaria, yaws, gonorrhea and kwashiorkor (an often fatal protein deficiency) are common; an estimated 50% of Laotian children die in childbirth or infancy. But to all disasters of body or soul, pious Laotians murmur in the words of one of their poets: "For our sins committed in an other world we are in these days...
...Because they do not get enough protein in their diet between weaning and the age at which they can forage for themselves, countless children in Asia, Africa and South America suffer from kwashiorkor (a West African word meaning red boy), Capetown's Dr. John F. Brock reported in Manhattan. Fed mainly on manioc gruel, they are stunted and their skin and hair lose pigment, making them look reddish or grey. For short-term relief, U.N. agencies are supplying thousands of tons of dried skim milk, rich in protein. But in the long run, said Dr. Brock, these primitive peoples...
Colombia's campaign is part of a drive launched in 77 countries by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (in other lands the fight is against a variety of diseases from yaws to kwashiorkor). It is a prime example of a technically backward country's being helped to help itself. UNICEF out up $100,000 and arranged for Michigan's Dr. Pearl Kendrick, the world's top authority on vaccines for whooping cough, to help Colombia set up a laboratory. To get the program started, 80,000 shots were supplied from U.S. labs...