We are pleased to announce the completion of our two year project to catalogue and preserve the papers of the School's Nutrition Collection.
The project to make this unique resource accessible was made possible through a generous grant from the Wellcome Trust's Research Resources in Medical History funding initiative. The collection is an extensive and varied resource consisting of over 4000 items relating to scientific investigations in the field of nutrition created and collected by LSHTM staff between the 1920s and 1930s. Records include reports, diaries, notebooks, research data, photographs, correspondence and nutrition educational and promotional materials. The collection is particularly rich in records relating to nutrition surveys in Africa, Asia and South America and work on malnutrition, protein requirements, Second World War diets, health promotion, obesity and the diets and health of specific groups, including children, teenagers, prisoners of war and the elderly.
Nutrition is one of the most important public health agenda items of the 21st century and the completion of this project has opened up this previously inaccessible resource to the medical research community and researchers in associated areas, including epidemiology, anthropology, geography and social, colonial and military history.
Researchers are welcome to visit the archive by appointment. Details of how to contact us and access our collections can also be found on our website at the above address.
An exhibition to mark World Malaria Day (25 April) will be on display in the Library exhibition area until the end of the month. The exhibition showcases some of the unique and fascinating items relating to malaria held in the School’s archives and rare books collections. Items on display include: the page from Sir Ronald Ross’ notebook where he made his discovery of the transmission of malaria in man by mosquitoes; extracts from rare books on malaria by Giovanni Grassi and Alphonse Laveran and photographs of malaria investigations and training courses in Palestine, Malaysia, Panama, Nigeria and Putney Heath! Please get in touch with us at archives@lshtm.ac.uk for further information.
The Library is introducing QR Codes for our electronic resources. Look out for the laminated sheets next to print copies of books we also have in electronic format. Also look in the reference section for QR codes to links to electronic dictionaries and reference books.
This Sunday (3 April) is Mother’s Day and the Library & Archives Service has decided to mark the occasion by focusing on our collection of nutrition information leaflets aimed at mothers, children and families issued during the Second World War. Food rationing in Britain was introduced on the 8 January 1940, shortly after the start of the war, due to difficulties in the importing of food produce by ships which were frequently under attack. During the period of food rationing (1940-1954), the British government via the Ministry of Food, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Information educated the nation in what food they should be eating through a vast number of information leaflets, recipe books, posters and television and radio broadcasts. Under the system of rationing expectant mothers and children under five were provided with additional rations in an attempt to ensure they received adequate nutrients. The extras provided to pregnant women and children included milk, meat, dried egg, concentrated orange juice and vitamin A, vitamin D and cod liver oil tablets. This collection forms part of a wider collection of material relating to nutrition research carried out at the School between the 1920s and 1990s. For further information, please see the archive catalogue at: http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/library/archives/
