Asian Relations Conference March-April 1947. Health Problems of Ceylon

In the concluding chapter reference is made to the rapid expansion that has taken place in the Health Sevices of the Island during the last 20 years with the consequent improvement in the health of the people as reflected in the reduction of the different death rates. [...] The officers of the department inspect periodcally the articles of food supplied the arrangements for its preparation and distribution in the school and organise on a sound basis the health education aspect of the midday meal. [...] Malnutrition reduces the vitality and powers of resistance and the existing health sevices in spite of very rapid expansion in very recent times are still inadequate to meet the needs'of the people; while lack of general education and in partcular knowledge of fundamentals of health add consderably to the difficulty of overcoming the indiffrence and apathy of the people. [...] The assessment of the nutritional state of an individual or group is made by the determination of heights and weights of the individual and by the incdence of certain clinical manifestations. [...] The cures are there and the control of the spread of the diseases is dependent on the education of the people to have a healthy view of sex in relation to life.