i.
THE VEGAN SOCIETY Established. November,
1944
The Aims of the Society are : 1.
T o advocate that man's food should be derived from fruits, nuts, vegetables, grains and other wholesome non-animal products and that it should exclude flesh, fish, fowl, eggs, honey and animals' milk, butter and cheese.
2.
T o encourage the manufacture and use of alternatives to animal commodities.
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67 E V E S H A M
Secretary ROAD
LEICESTER >'
THE
V E G A N
Official Organ of The Vegan Society Established Editor:
VOL. 2
1944
D O N A L D W A T S O N , 67, E V E S H A M R O A D , LEICESTER
A U T U M N , 1946
No. 3
. Quotation.—"Vegetarianism has been defined by its adherents as the-practice ' of living on the products of the vegetable kingdom, with or without the addition of eggs, and of milk and its products, to the exclusion of fish, flesh and fowl. " T h e motives for this limitation in the diet are the attainment of ideal health and physical efficiency, or an aesthetic distaste for feeding on the corpses of animals, or the avoidance for humane reasons of animal suffering and slaughter. T o be consistent, if the latter is the predominant motive, eggs and milk should be excluded from the diet. T h e provision of these female products at a reasonable price entails the slaughter and sale of the supernumerary male animals as food. A n egg and milk vegetarianism on a national scale, however desirable for health or other reasons, seems to be an economic impracticability until such time as breeders can control the determination of sex. If the virtues of vegetarianism are to be freed from dependency on the flesh-eating habits of the majority of the population, a vegetarian diet must .be of plant food only." VIOLA PLIMMER, "Food Values at a Glance."
EDITORAL The Problem of Infant Feeding O articles in this issue raise a matter of importance to the TW Vegan; the problem which confronts the Vegan parent when breast milk fails or is inadequate. Doubtless there may be associated with our Movement those who would allow an infant to weaken and die, rather than temporarily exploit'an animal for milk to keep the child alive, but this is not the view generally held by Vegans. Even so, we cannot rest content so ilong as it is ever expedient to choose .the lesser of evils, and the unfortunate choice which our contributor, Mr. Cross, had to make is one that concerns us all. Obviously, cow's milk is unnatural for a human baby, but so too is nut'milk or soya-milk. Only the milk of the mother taken directly from the breast is natural, and where this is not possible a choice has to be made from the various not-so-good alternatives enumerated in this issue by Dr. Pink. It seems that at present cases arise where infants fare better on cow's milk, despite all its
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drawbacks, than on the limited nut-milks that are available. solution to this difficulty appears to lie in two directions:
The
(1) For breast feeding to be regarded as a sacred duty wherever it is possible, and for potential mothers to do all in their power to increase the possibility of successful lactation. (2) For more research into the manufacture of vegetable milks. A p a r t from the needs of infants, there would seem to be an enormous future in this country for a good vegetable milk at a reasonable price. The keeping qualities of vegetable milk and the relative cheapness of the necessary raw materials are factors so favourable to its production that it is surprising no earlier attempt has been made on a big scale to knock cow's milk off the market. Years ago Henry Ford said the cow was no longer an economic proposition, and doubtless he would have proved it had he been a younger man. N o one to-day doubts the appalling condition of our dairy herds, and it is extremely unlikely that their condition will be raised to a level of safety for a very long time to come, even if this is possible. T h e ultimate effect on the community of low-grade, disease-ridden milk consumed in large quantities cannot accurately be assessed, for in the complexity of civilised living cause and effect are riot easily related. Philosophers and rationalists might well stand a better chance of avoiding the worst consequences,of wrong living than do scientists who pore over masses of fragmentary data. W i t h a view to stimulating the production of better and more varied vegetable milks in this country, a Conference will be held in London on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of The Vegan Society towards the end of this year. Will those who possess information likely to be of value at this Conference kindly submit it? W e are particularly eager to contact those who were associated with the marketing of vegetable milk in London before the war. As is well known soya-milk is in general u s e i n China, both for infant feeding and for culinary use, and we see no reason why, with our modern machinery, we should not beat the. Chinese at their own game. In the meantime, potential manufacturers might be interested in the following extract from an article in "The British Medical Journal" dated March 13th, 1937. It refers to some successful feeding experiments on children conducted in America by Dr. D. E. Lane: " . . . Much care has been taken over the vegetable milk which, in its improved form, is known as ' almond-lac.' It is prepared from a fine preparation of almond meal with corn starch, dextrin and maltose. Dehydrated leafy vegetables supply the mineral content of the milk, and, as now prepared, almond-lac can be used in place of cow's milk. Its content of the vitamin B complex is high, and it also contains appreciable amounts of vitamins A and C. Careful study of calcium storage shows that with this milk, and other vegetable foods, entirely satisfactory results have been obtained, and this is reflected in the normal state of dentition. The object has been not only to study the
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growth of the twins, but also to demonstrate that almond-lac can safely be taken over long periods without any harm to health; for it has been found of great value in children with infantile eczema due to hypersensitivity to other food substances. . . . " In the following issue of the "Journal" this letter from Dr. Harrington appeared : " Sir,—I was greatly interested in the annotation in the * J o u r n a l ' for March 13 th on the rearing of twins on a vegetable diet. I have long advocated that cow's milk is not only unnecessary for children but definitely harmful. Sensitivity to cow's milk occurs more frequently than to any other food and is a' causative factor in the overgrowth of lymphoid tissue, as shown by enlarged, tonsils and adenoids, catarrhal conditions, and asthmatic eczema. I have proved in many cases that children fed in the way described in the annotation are immune from the so-called childish ailments, and the matter was dealt with in medical literature some ten years ago. The asthmatic child does very badly on a milk diet, as would be expected from what I have already said, yet it frequently forms the chief item of food. The annotation goes on to mention the ' conventional mixed diet containing cow's milk,' and the word * conventional' is well chosen, for it is not rational nor are the benefits of such a diet borne out by clinical evidence. True, some children put on weight on such a diet, but in my own practice I have repeatedly seen emaciated asthmatic children increase in body weight immediately milk was omitted from the diet and adjustments made as described in your annotation. Mention of ' almond-lac' is important and interesting, and its high vitamin B content would be of the greatest value. I am, etc., F.
T . HARRINGTON
(London, W.l')."
Mr. Saxon on Veganism In an Editorial comment on Veganism in the July issue of " Health and Life," Mr. Saxon suggests: " This flight from the animal that crops up so frequently among idealistic folk suggests to a student of psychology that it reflects some form of subconscious tension." He may be right. • Certainly' the tension is present in the conscious makeup of the Vegan. Mr. Saxon agrees with us that there is " widespread disease and sub-health in domesticated creatures, and a great deal of brutality and greedy over-working of cows, with concomitant killing of male animals," and also we are in agreement when he states, Undoubtedly, the value of liquid milk for children and adults is greatly exaggerated. Admittedly, dairy cows are grossly overworked; so are laying hens; "and bees-get too much sugar." As a student of psychology, Mr. Saxon can hardly wonder why those with a practical outlook should find themselves trying to remedy these evils. T h e virtues of apathy are still not clear to us. Enlightenment carries with it, we think, the responsibility to take action. Mr. Saxon makes a suggestion for an alternative to Veganism
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when he continues: " But whatever the food of mankind in the future may come to be, under existing conditions it seems sound to set about tending the animals used for food products so that they are restored to health and treated decently." Humanely disposed people who are not Vegans would do well to determine what improvements might reasonably be expected in animal husbandry, so that they may decide whether Mr. Saxon's suggestion is likely to bring a satisfactory solution or merely a makeshift. Is it likely, for instance, that a world which finds such ready excuses for the decent housing and feeding of human beings will strain itself unduly to bestow such blessings upon animals? Is it likely that the profit motive in business will be shelved in favour of moral principle and that science will produce breeds of animals of lower yield so that they might have stronger bodies and an easier life? W h a t decency can there be in a system of exploitation which includes castration and the slaughter of superfluous males in. order to make it work, and which turns calves into veal for flesh' eaters so that vegetarians and others may have milk? W h a t decency can there be in any association with living creatures when the final act is to slaughter them for personal gain? If we are concerned in the evolution of animals, should we not keep them under natural conditions in parks and renounce absolutely our self-assumed right to demand their bodies in return? W e may be sure that so long as we cling to the fallacy that man is a parasite who requires animals t o ' sustain him, those animals will get thoroughly well exploited by everyone whose livelihood depends upon them. Even the few humanely disposed farmers who would treat them well are driven by competitioa to standards approaching those in operation elsewhere. Science, which might mitigate animal suffering, is instead aggravating it. The vivisection laboratory dominates medical science. Artificial insemination is fast becoming the order of the day in the breeding of farm stock. T h e latest news is that, as a result of experiments conducted at. Cambridge by Dr. John Hammond, cows are being injected with a serum prepared from pregnant mares and that this induces them to shed more than a single egg, so that on insemination two or more calves are conceived. Thus, the stage is all set for the doubling of the "cattle crop," the cow again paying the price. In a world so governed by expediency the decent treatment of animals is remote in the extreme, and even with the best intention the practical difficulties are clearly such as to defy solution from a humanitarian point of view. Should we feel elevated by a scheme which placed us in subordination to a super race and which gave us food and shelter in exchange for the flesh, milk, skin and bones of our miserable bodies? Atomic Experiments on Animals A long letter has been received from Major John B. Gulley, of the United States Navy Dept., in reply to a protest made on behalf of The Vegan Society against the use of animals in the atomic bomb
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experiments. It is an apologetic letter, as well might be expected, since it seeks to justify the conveyance to the mid-Pacific of thousands of animals with the express purpose of blinding, maiming and blowing them to pieces. The chief line of defence used by Major Gulley is as follows: " . . . I hope you may realise that we were extremely reluctant to come to the decision to use even a single animal in the tests, and that we have done so is due to the fact that the medical advisers of the Army and Navy were very insistent that if they are to assume- the responsibility for the future defences, welfare and treatment of personnel of the Armed Services they must know more precisely just what biological effects may be encountered in such attacks." Sir Edwin Arnold reminded us of "that fixed arithmetic of the universe which metes out good for good and ill for ill." Even if he were wrong in this assumption, we could do worse than to assume him to have been right. D.W. •
VEGANISM IN INFANCY By Dr. C. V.
>
PINK
From Nine Months A T Stonefield Maternity Home we have been interested in the weaning of infants without cow's milk for many years. W e have seen a hundred or more weaned on to a Vegan diet at about nine months, and, as a group, these children have reached a higher standard of health than their cousins who have been' fed' on cow's milk.. W e have noticed that they have been more free from disease, especially sepsis. They have looked so exuberantly healthy that they have frequently attracted the attention of strangers who stopped to admire and enquire; they have developed fine muscles and a somewhat lighter physique than normal, and have been mentally more alert but less irritable than milk-fed children. W e have seen no serious drawbacks to this method of feeding, and I consider it to be superior to a diet in which the most important constituent is cow's milk. This superiority is all the more marked because the cows in this country have been reduced to a low.level of health as-judged by their proneness to tuberculosis. . Probably the ideal .arrangement would, be to continue some, breast feeding into the second year, though .the. child would be taking a good -part of his nutriment from the .vegetable kingdom, by the.age of twelve months.. .Unfortunately the many calls on a mother's time and energy make such a long . period of lactation impracticable in-all but very ; rare cases... , :, -...,.• . The First Six Months ; ; ' ( . . ' " ,. A cardinal principle in dietetics is to select'a natural diet, or; 1 if the- natural food is Unobtainable; to. find a substitute which, within the limits of our present 'knowledgei approximates-as nearly, as possible
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to the natural. In the early months, then, should a mother fail to feed her baby, we have several alternatives. First: a wet nurse. A century ago this was a very popular method, and there is much to be said in its favour, particularly in the first months. The "milk bank" is our present-day variation of this method, and it has come to stay. Second: cow's milk. W h e n this is modified according to the methods taught by the late Sir Frederick Truby King, and when fresh fruit juices are added in increasing quantity from the end of the first month, results are very good. Third : milk from an animal such as the goat, whose stock has not been depreciated by exploitation. One would expect this to give better results than cow's milk, and my small experience with it supports this view. Fourth: nut-cream, may be introduced in the second month to replace part of the cow's milk. The quantity of vegetable milk is gradually increased over a period of six months till the cow's milk can be left out altogether. I have seen this work well. F i f t h : the use of food of vegetable origin from the first. Some zealous Vegans are exploring possibilities, but I am somewhat doubtful about success. No one can deny that milk is our natural food in the earliest months of life, and in our experience the closest possible approximation to human milk is necessary in artificial feeding at this tender age. In adult life, to derive nutriment from roots, berries or old boots, i.e., from the unusual if not the unnatural, is a mark of virility, but a very young baby cannot do this. So, though I agree that food drawn entirely from the vegetable kingdom is natural and therefore right in adult life, I am very doubtful whether this principle should be applied in the first six months of life.- I can conceive of a community' in which a few goats and cows are kept and treated with the kindness we usually accord to domestic pets. In return, their milk could surely be shared between their young and the few infants whose mothers are unfortunately unable to feed them. The Technique of Breast Feeding Although Truby King taught us a lot about this, we still have a lot to learn, and the perfection of our technique is obviously the best solution' of the problem. A t present we see a certain number of women who are unable to feed' their babies because their breasts did not develop properly at puberty. Some'of them have told us that their mothers have led them to be ashamed of their developing busts. The form is modelled to suit the needs of the life within, so we have, some ground for presuming that if mothers would teach their daughters to be proud of their developing breasts,' and to look forward to the happiness of using them, then a higher percentage of infants would be successfully breast-fed..' W i t h o u t ' doubt, there are also factors in the unconscious life of-a woman, which-also affect lactation.
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Assessment of Results Our experience in dietetics has taught us that the most important need of the infant is the security of the happy home. W e have seen parents who are happy-go-lucky to the point of irresponsibility and noticed that their children are often exuberantly happy and healthy on food which is not well chosen. On the other hand, we have often seen failure on the correct diet when the parents have been over-anxious concerning the health of their children,' and occasionally in those who have sought to make their children demonstrate the correctness of their own particular ideas on diet. Individual variation is great, and generalisations are difficult. • Perseverando vincimus! Extract from "The Children's Newspaper,
July 6th, 1946
COCONUT CREAM "After many years of research, a coconut cream has now been perfected, and substantial quantities of this rich new cream, tinned, will shortly be on the way to Britain from Samoa. The cream, which can be used for ice-creams, mayonnaise, chocolate, and for feeding children, tastes richer than cream from cow's milk. It contains forty-two per cent of - fat and four per cent, of protein in comparison with dairy cream's forty and three per cent." ( W e understand that 400,000 tins of this cream are on the way. —EDITOR.)
THE MISSING LINK B y LESLIE J. CROSS
r p O - D A Y ; as a practical philosophy, Veganism is incomplete, for it cannot cover the span of human life. The missing link is from birth to six or seven months. During this period no one may, with sincerity, advocate that a mother unable to feed her baby from the breast should feed it on a Vegan diet. It is a sad and serious reflection that a civilisation that can produce miracles of destruction cannot feed a baby in a humane and reasonable way. My wife and I have had a great deal of experience in bringing up our two children on a Vegan diet. From this, and from the experiences of others, I have no doubt that if a child is fed from the breast for six months or so, or even only partially fed from the breast, it can for the whole of its life follow a Vegan path. The natural way to bring up a baby is by breast feeding until the baby is weaned. - Any other method'is a substitute. '•• But (and a very big but it is) that substitute ought to be open to neither the ethical
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nor the scientific objections which clearly condemn the use of animal milk. O u r son Jon is now four years old, as vibrantly healthy and as mentally lively as anyone could wish. He was fed on Cow and Gate (except for a very little breast feeding during the first months) until his parents became Vegans when he was seven months old, since when he too has been a Vegan. W h e n Sally A n n was born (in March, 1945) we decided that if it were possible we wanted her to be Vegan from birth. For a few weeks she was breast fed, and from then until about seven months she. had a supplementary feed of nut-milk (sometimes with soya). W e had no difficulty until she was eight months old, after a month without any breast feeding at all. There could be no possible doubt about the genuineness of the commendatory remarks which came from all sorts of people, often complete strangers, who stopped to admire her. But Sally began to show signs of being unable to digest the nutmilk feed which she had taken easily while being breast fed as well, small as the breast feed had been. The position was also aggravated by the following causes: (1) W e were living with relatives who are neither Vegetarian nor Vegan; (2) The impossibility, in spite of tremendous and nerve-racking efforts, to ensure an adequate supply of nut-cream, which frequently reduced-us to the point of despair and made steady feeding impossible; (3) The non-standardisation of the nut-cream: each tin being of a different colour and consistency; (4) The presence in the milk of what we humorously described as "gravel." However we strained the milk, it seemed impossible not to let through some tiny particles of nut sediment, which blockedthe feeding teat and may have had some effect upon digestion. Sally was sick, vomiting the feed sometimes hours later in the same condition in which she had taken it. A change to soya milk, and again to patent barley with added weak nut-milk, were both at first successful, but soon the sickness returned. When it was clear that we could not continue without medical advice, we asked Dr. Pink to see her, but so rapid was the deterioration that my wife took her to Stonefield before the appointment with Dr. Pink became due. A t Storiefield, after coaxing, a great deal of patient work, and experiments with different feeds, Sally slowly recovered. '• She had acquired a habit which was difficult to' overcome of turning her head away' from the 'proffered feed,- whatever it was, and firmly closing her mouth. Ultimately, Stonefield nursed her back to splendid health, but. the importance of.'the recovery lay in the fact that cow's milk was among the foods they used. ' • Dr. Pink made, among others, the following observations :• (1) Sally, was. suffering from starvation and would have'been in danger of her life if she had not been induced to take food, which she could digest; (2) W e (her parents) had'been wrong in "forcing" a Vegan diet upon her when she was-unwilling. • (To this .we replied that Sally h a d ' t a k e n a-Vegan..diet with success .until; prior to .taking her to
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Stonefield); (3) Veganism for very young babies was undeveloped, one of the missing items being an easily digested non-animal fat. To these remarks of Dr. Pink's I should add that the experienced Matron at Stonefield was very strongly against trying to feed babies below weaning age on a Vegan diet. W e kept Sally on her lacto-vegetarian diet for two or three months, and then reintroduced the Vegan diet. For some time now the milkman has stopped calling at our house. Sally is growing lovelier every day, and her future as a Vegan is assured. This experience is important because it throws into relief the need for research and development into the production in this country of nut or vegetable milks for a baby's very early days. I understand that America has produced a vegetable milk that approximates closely to human milk, so that much of the way ahead could be learned from the experience there. While Vegans quite naturally want to bring up their children in the way they believe to be right, and would support such research and development for that very good reason, they would also agree that many benefits would accrue to everyone if a cheap, easy-to-use and dietetically sound vegetable milk could be developed to take the place of disease-ridden animal milk. Two matters are of extreme importance: the vegetable milk must be cheap, and it must be easy to use. Nut-cream is neither cheap nor (for an infant) easy to use. None but the enthusiast could be induced to carry out the necessary preparation. Paul Spencer tells of some friends of his who brought up their daughter from two weeks to eleven months on a Vegan diet without breast feeding. This is the only case I know of which could be taken as evidence that a Vegan diet from birth (two weeks is good enough) can be successful. But in this case there was the triumph of economics over aspiration, for at eleven months the parent could no longer afford the high cost of nut-cream and the child was reduced to animal milk. The human milk bank is useful and perhaps vital in cases of extreme danger (though, in the absence of good vegetable milks, one must reserve judgment as to their necessity). I am sure of this, however, that, all things being equal, I would prefer a baby of mine to have a vegetable product. Stored human milk seems to be open to certain general objections, and while one must admit its value to-day and its possible value in extreme cases in a future and better world, it does not offer a suitable alternative to the production of a good vegetable milk, which ought to be pursued with vigour. There is no reason why several standardised brands of vegetable milk suitable for the differing needs of infants and others should not be produced. It is, in fact, a tragic commentary that we have so far preferred to exploit and cause suffering to highly sentient animals rather than pursue the healthier and kindlier way which awaits us if we will but search it out.
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Meet
DAVID SHARPE—LIFE VEGETARIAN Two Years a Vegan
David is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Geo. A. Sharpe, of " Ivystead," 11 Walnut Avenue, Birstall, Leicester. His father writes: " Regarding David. His health is simply taken for granted—he is always tip-top! Sturdy, with firm legs, fond of sun, rain and wind, agile and full of fun. He is contented, happy and interested— deeply in love with life. Bred and born a vegetarian, with a growing love towards all animals and a concern for their welfare, it gradually dawned on him about two years ago (he is now twelve years old)
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that it was wrong for us to handle the eggs of fowls and to drink the milk of cows. Instinctively he refused to take part in the acts of robbery. " David cannot be tempted with ice-cream whatever height the temperature may soar. He enjoys all his foods, as well as his school life, and he is a member of the Animals' Friend League. He is a sure proof of the fact that to be a Vegan is right—Nature evidently proves it in David. One day he will take a greater part in the true way of life. At present, he likes the thought of becoming a horticulturist. Meanwhile, he may lead his father to becoming a Vegan!"
VEGAN GROUPS AND CIRCLES B y FAY K .
HENDERSON
(who has been appointed Organiser of The Vegan Society) organise usually means to arrange many parts into an ordered TO whole so as to increase efficiency. An endeavour is now being made to do this in The Vegan Society. In its second year the Society now has several hundred supporters and a magazine sale of 1,500 copies, reaching readers over a very wide area, both in this country and abroad. Many of these people are pioneers striving to follow the Vegan W a y of Life as individuals, though often rather isolated from others of similar outlook. There are many habits of thought to be changed, customs to be altered and difficulties to be overcome, and it should be helpful to discuss such problems with others of sympathetic attitude so as to gain encouragement, assurance and an interchange of ideas. For this purpose it is suggested that Vegan Circles should be formed in districts where a few people interested in Veganism could occasionally meet together in each others' homes for practical discussions. Such friendly little gatherings could do a great deal of mutual good. The Organiser will be happy to send names and addresses to any interested in starting a local Circle. Several Circles are already being initiated. It is further proposed to form Groups in the larger centres. These will be independent and will arrange individual programmes, but any assistance required will gladly be given by the Organiser, to whom application should be made by those wishing to form a Group. The London Vegan Group has just completed a year of successful activity—a Report of which will be found elsewhere—and it is now preparing a comprehensive programme of meetings for the coming session. The London Secretary is Mr. Frank Mitchell, 10 Dingwall Avenue, Croydon, from whom all particulars may be obtained. Arrangements are already in hand for the formation of a Scottish Group, of which Miss D. M. Sutherland, 76 Strathearn Road, Edin-
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burgh, will be Secretary. It is hoped that meetings will be held in both Edinburgh and Glasgow. Leeds is another large centre where a Vegan Group is contemplated, and there are hopes of establishing it in the autumn. Hitherto, the practise of Veganism has been a somewhat solitary affair, but now each individual can do something to draw together those lone links into a strong pioneer chain. Perhaps YOU can start a Circle or even form a Group—or, at any rate, you can ask for one to be formed in your district and then join it! ( A f t e r September 1st, the Organiser's address will be: Rydal Lodge, Ambleside, Westmorland.)
FOOD FINDINGS By T H E
FOOD
INVESTIGATOR
Sugars there are several different types of sugar. Fruits, CHEMICALLY, particularly when dried, contain considerable quantities of the most digestible sugars (laevulose, dextrose, fructose, etc.); and all bodily requirements of sugar may be satisfied from this source. Commercial sugars comprise the type (sucrose) having the greatest sweetness. This is the least digestible form, but fruit and heat, as in jam-making, invert this into glucose and fructose, which are more digestible. Commercial sugars may be either raw or refined. Refined sugars include loaf, coffee crystals, granulated, castor and icing sugars, as well as syrup and light treacle. One of the refining processes is decolorisation. The first decolorising carbon was discovered in 1812. It is called bone-char or bone-black and is derived from animal bones. It is still used and is well established in the big cane sugar refineries1,2,3. However, the sugar does not actually contain the bone substance, but on the average about £ lb. is consumed (rejected as unfit for further use) in the production of 100 lbs. of sugar 2 . The modern food decolorising agent is activated carbon of vegetable or mineral origin, and is used in some recent smaller refineries. Some white sugar, however, is produced in the country of growth by the use of mineral chemicals alone. The by-products of beet sugar—pulp and molasses—are used as cattle food. Where sugar recovery from the molasses, prior to selling as cattle food, is practised, bone-char is used for decolorising2. Refined sugar is mostly used in confectionery, preserves and beverages. It is also widely used for sweetening fruit, but the change to a natural non-animal diet generally alters the palate so that fruits taste sweet instead of tart and thus overcomes unnatural cravings for sucrose. From the above it will be seen that raw cane sugars, dark treacle and molasses are, from a Vegan point of view, to be preferred. However, Vegans will also be interested to know that sugar beet is a certain crop in the garden and can be used directly for jams, etc.
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References. 1 Encyclopedia Brittanica. 14th Edn. 1929. 2 The Chemical Process Industries. R. Norris Shreve. (McGraw Hill.) 3 The Commodities of Commerce—Vegetable, Animal, Mineral and Synthetic. J. Henry Vanstone. (Pitman.) Great pressure of correspondence has made it impossible for the Secretary to send more than formal acknowledgment to those who have kindly increased their subscriptions from 2s. 6d. to 4s. or over. Subscribers are reminded when their subscriptions fall due, and the Committee is grateful to those who finance the work of the Society by paying more than the cost of the magazine. Without this assistance the Society could not continue. Running costs are high even though no salaries or expenses are paid to Officers, and despite every care the Society is usually slightly in debt. A Point from a Letter " . . . Are such foods as Ryvita Vegan? Or have you a recipe for making bread on a gas-ring up your sleeve? . . ."—M.P. (Malvern). ( W e have nothing up our sleeves. All our cards and gas-rings a r e on t h e table.—EDITOR.)
And Another " . . . That late frost didn't half give my peas beans. . . ."—E.T.S. (Leicester).
VEGAN COMMODITIES By P.S. HE H A M I L T O N SPECTATOR," published in Ontario, says that "Lieut.'Colonel E. H. Hate, seventy-three-year-old Indian scientist, has successfully produced a fabric as soft and warm as wool and as light and cool as silk, from the fibres of the little-known Indian plant, Ramie. Ramie is found in abundance, all over India. The plant may revolutionise wearing apparel. Ramie fibres have been spun and used in making, among other things, twine, fishing nets, and rope, both in India and abroad.". • Mrs. R. Green believes that Ramie fibres are used a little in England. " In Canada," she writes, "flannelette, often dyed in plaids, is used for sports shirts and men's work shirts.- A heavy cotton is also used in bathrobes and light blankets, in addition to flannelette sheets. Quilts; of cotton, filled with cotton batting are more used in Ontario than are woollen blankets for beds. Lumberjacks' heavy jackets, are also often of cotton, and ski-ing suits of Grenfell cloth.'.',
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Now a little more about soaps. " Puritan " household soap is suitable for Vegan use. The manufacturers, Messrs.Crosfield, Watson and Gossage, Ltd., say, however, that "though it is at present made from oils and fats of vegetable origin, the materials have included in the past whale-oil, and may likewise do so in the future; should that be the case and there then be no option but to use these for manufacturing ' Puritan,' we should, of course, in those circumstances perforce do so. The situation will, of course, be quite different if and when oils and fats become freely available and individual manufacturers are,' in consequence, free to choose the raw materials. In those circumstances we should doubtless revert to the original normaL formula for 1 Puritan,' the original olive oil soap." Vegan shavers who contemplate with dismay the substitution of fibre for their soft badger's hair, may prefer to do without a shaving brush and use Colgate's Brushless Shaving Cream, which is entirelyfree from animal matter, being made from vegetable and mineral oils. Another skin cream which satisfies Vegan requirements is Lusty's Herbal Skin Cream. Simmonds Products, Ltd., of Brentford, say that Sposs, the liquid furniture dressing, and Octim, the liquid soapless cleaner, are both free from animal matter, the wax in Sposs being carnauba vegetable wax . (Sposs is, of course, ideal for cleaning windows, thus solving for the Vegan the wash-leather problem.—EDITOR.) Vegetable parchment is obtainable from the Vegetable Parchment Mills (Delcroix), Ltd., Orpington, Kent. Now something for Vegans who are masters and servants of pets. Bob Martin's Dog Soap is made from pure vegetable fats, and their "Bloom" Shampoo contains no animal products. Nor does the liquid " Sopex " made by Cooper, McDougall and Robertson, Ltd. Ball and Sons, Ltd., the veterinary chemists, state that their Dog Soap in tablet form and their Shampoo Powders are free from animal fat, the soap being made from palm oil and similar vegetable oils. But on feeding dogs on Vegan lines they make this comment: "It might be possible to make biscuits with soya bean meal, but as far as we see, you are not going to be able to satisfy yourself as to the condition of your dog, since dogs are essentially carnivorous animals, and the dog's digestive system is arranged accordingly." Once again, please send in your discoveries, and help to make the Vegan Trade List comprehensive. Any commodities you are doubtful about will gladly be investigated. ( E D I T O R ' S NOTE : As Mr. Spencer is abroad for an indefinite period, correspondence relating to Vegan commodities should in future be sent to Mr. G. A. Henderson, Rydal Lodge, Ambleside, Westmorland. W e thank Mr. Spencer for his work for Veganism and welcome M r . Henderson as his successor.)
15
THE VEGAN I
LONDON VEGAN GROUP PROGRAMME: SEPTEMBER
TO DECEMBER,
1946
At FRIENDS' HOUSE, Euston Road, London, N.W.I at 3 p.m.: Public Lecture by Mr. Edgar J. Saxon on " Health from the Soil Upwards."
SEPTEMBER 21ST,
10TH, at 7 p.m.: Mr. Frank Mitchell will lead a Discussion on " Some further implications of Veganism."
OCTOBER
at 3. p.m.: Public Lecture by Dr. Gordon Latto on " True Vegetarianism."
OCTOBER 26TH,
at 7 p.m..: Mrs. E . B. Shrigley will discuss . " The Social Aspects of the Vegan W a y of Life."
N O V E M B E R 7TH,
at 7 p.m.: Mr. Frederick A. Sowan will arrange a Question and Answer Evening.
NOVEMBER 21ST,
November 30th, at 2.30 p.m.: Conference on the possible production of Vegetable Milks.' At 5.15 p.m.: Tea (Is. 6d. per person). At 6 p.m.: Annual General Meeting of The Vegan Society. 14TH, at 3 p.m.: Mr. Herbert Owen will give a Practical Talk and Exhibition on " Some Vegan Commodities."
DECEMBER
NOTES ON THE LONDON GROUP B y F. A .
SOWAN
London Group has completed its first year's work. The THEactivities have included four public lectures and a debate, a demonstration of Vegan foods, a social, and two Group meetings. The speakers at the public meetings and their subjects were: Mrs. Barbara Moore-Pataleewa: "Vegetarianism and Beyond "; Dr. C. V. Pink: "Infants on a Non-Dairy D i e t " ; Mrs. Clare Loewenfeld: " What a Vegan Child should Eat in Health and Sickness "; Mr. Barry Green spoke on Veganism from the nature-cure standpoint;' Mr. Leslie Severs and Mr. Donald Watson debated whether or not continued human dependence on animal life was desirable or justifiable.
THE. VEGAN 16
T w o Group meetings, which were called to discuss " Vegan Difficulties " and " Non-Animal Fabrics," provided helpful opportunities for comparison of experience and interchange of ideas and information. A t its first A.G.M., held on June 29th, the Group was reconstituted as the London Vegan Group, and a formal basis was agreed to. The two aims of The Vegan Society (as set forth in the Manifesto) were adopted as the Group's aims, with the addition of a third: T o facilitate social contacts between those interested in Veganism. The newly elected Committee and Officers have made good progress with their plans for the 1946-47 season. It is hoped that the Group's educational work will be supplemented by practical activity; for example, a survey of Vegan facilities in London restaurants is already being made. All sympathetic people are eligible for membership. It is hoped that the Group's past contacts, and many other London and Home Counties' .readers of " The Y e g a n >" will ask the Secretary for news of activities and will send their first annual subscription (minimum 2s. 6d.) to the Treasurer. All who were on our mailing list last year will automatically receive the first number of the Group's proposed news-letter. Suggestions relating to Vegan expansion in London will be gratefully received by the Committee. Secretary: F R A N K M I T C H E L L , 1 0 Dingwall Avenue, Croydon. Treasurer: FREDERICK A. Sow AN, 1 Chaucer Cottages, Pilgrim's W a y , Croham Road, South Croydon.
THE VEGAN BABY BUREAU Recipes by the Bureau Organiser, Mrs. K. V. Mayo R E C I P E S SUITABLE AND LIKED BY ONE-YEAR-OLDS'AND OVER
This salad is specially suitable for holidays or picnics where cooked foods are difficult: Chopped lettuce, grated carrot, chopped tomato (without skin), mixed with one-sixth tin of Pitman Nut Meat Brawn. Fruit Dishes for Tea Meal or Lunch A P P L E F R O T H : 3 apples stewed with 2 teaspoonfuls of golden syrup and half a cup of water; when cooked, beat in one dessertspoonful of Pitman N u t Cream, while hot. G O O S E B E R R Y FOOL : -J- lb. gooseberries (either fresh or botded) cooked with golden syrup and water till they have all burst, and then poured over a cup of medium raw oatmeal; stir well, and leave overnight. ••••,.,' R H U B A R B . A N D BLACKCURRANT J E L L Y : 4 medium sticks of rhubarb chopped small. 1 teaspoonful Gelozone mixed gradually with one cup cold water. Cook together till boiling and boil for two minutes, *
THE. VEGAN
17
stirring all the while. Then add £ tin of blackcurrant puree, and pour into dish and leave to cool. This, when poured into the little Gelozone screw-top jars, is most suitable for picnics for children.
CAKES WITHOUT EGGS SPECIAL R E C I P E S RECEIVED FROM READERS
1.. Rich Wholemeal Cake (approx. 4 lbs.) 6 ozs. wholemeal flour; 12 ozs. Nutter; 4 ozs. brown sugar; 8 ozs. milled almonds; 4 ozs. milled hazels; 1 lb. currants; i lb. sultanas; £ lb. seedless raisins; Grated rind of two large oranges (or £ lb. mixed peel when available); 1 teaspoonful mixed spice; \ teaspoonful Gelozone; 8 tablespoonfuls water. Beat Nutter and sugar to a cream. Add dry ingredients (except Gelozone). Put Gelozone in saucepan, add water, and boil until it begins to thicken. Pour into cake mixture gradually and stir well. Turn into well-greased cake-tin and bake in a very slow oven for four hours. M.E.D. 2. Almond Paste (for above cake) |
lb. milled almonds; £ lb. brown sugar; £ teaspoonful Gelozone; 2 tablespoonfuls water.
Boil Gelozone and water until beginning to thicken. Stir in sugar and milled almonds. Roll out, and spread over cake while cake is still warm. M.E.D. 3. Glace Icing 1 lb. icing sugar; Hot water to mix. Grind down any lumps in icing sugar. Mix with sufficient hot water to a consistency to coat the back of a spoon. Spread over the cake. (This quantity is sufficient to ice the top and sides of the above cake. To ice top only, use half the quantity.) M.E.D. 4. Oatflake Crunchies 8 ozs. oatflakes or barley flakes, or mixture of both; 3 ozs. margarine; 4 ozs. syrup; 1 oz. washed bran; 2 ozs. chopped dried bananas or dates; 1 oz. chopped nuts; A little citrus stock if needed. Soften margarine and syrup and add the dry ingredients. Mix well and use citrus stock to make the mixture sufficiently workable. Spread into a well-greased flat tin (about \ inch thick), and bake in moderate oven twenty to thirty minutes. R.P.
THE. VEGAN 18
18
5. Battenburg Cake 2 ozs. soya flour; 2 ozs. semolina; 4 ozs. sugar; 2 ozs. margarine; 2 small teaspoonfuls almond essence; 2 tablespoonfuls water. Melt margarine in water. Add semolina, and slightly cook. Remove from heat. Add soya flour and 3 ozs. of sugar. Turn on board and knead in the rest of the sugar. Roll out, and line a small high tin. Fill in the centre with stale cake crumbs moistened with rum essence and put the rest of the mixture on top. Put a weight on to press all firmly down. Leave until next day. R.P. 6.
War-time Chocolate Cake
8 ozs. flour; 4 ozs. sugar; 3 ozs. cocoa; 1 tablespopnful treacle; 10 tablespoonfuls hot water; £ teaspoonful bi-carbonate of soda; 3 ozs. fat (melted). Allow plenty of room for expansion during cooking. water last and beat well.
Add hot R.P.
7. Crumb Fudge (uncooked) 2 tablespoonfuls syrup; 2 ozs. margarine; 2 ozs. sugar; 2 ozs. cocoa; A few drops vanilla, peppermint or orange essence; 6 ozs. dried crumbs. Heat the syrup, margarine, sugar and cocoa gently until melted. Stir in flavouring and bread crumbs. Turn into well-greased tin. Spread evenly and mark into fingers. Leave for twenty-four hours. R.P. 8.
All-Bran Molasses Cookies
cups flour; £ cup nut butter or Suenut; 1 tablespoonful brown sugar; $ cup treacle; \ cup All-Bran; teaspoonfuls cinnamon; 1 teaspoonful ginger; £ teaspoonful cloves. Cream butter and sugar. Add treacle, which has been heated to boiling point. Stir in All-Bran. Sift dry ingredients, add and mix well. Chill thoroughly before rolling out as dough, thinly. Cut into rounds and bake in moderate oven about seven minutes (350° F.). R.P.
REPLIES TO READERS' LETTERS Mrs. Edith Hughes asks for sandwich fillings for winter months. (a)
1 dried banana with 1 tablespoonful of peanuts put together through the mincer several- times makes a good sandwich filling or pocket ration. (Walter Clarke.),
THE. VEGAN
19
(b) Another sweet filling is an equal mixture of jam or marmalade with milled nuts. (c) A thin spread of Vecon with very finely sliced onion and coarse' cut parsley. (d) Fine shredded cabbage, grated carrot and a few raisins all moistened with nut milk. Mr. W . M. Langford asks for a medical Vegan's advice on invalid diet. Dr. G. Errington Kerr replies: " T h e r e should be little difficulty in feeding a Vegan invalid. My practice in feeding patients, whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian, is to advise them to give up milk. It is responsible for far more illness than meat-eating. * " I find especially that patients suffering from gastric or duodenal ulcers recover more rapidly if they avoid milk drinking. It is always a good practice, whatever the illness may be, to begin with a fast of from one to three days. It is never necessary to exceed three days. During the fast, water and fruit juices are freely taken. " Later on I recommend mashed potatoes, tomato juice when in season, carrot juice, vegetable soups, and almond cream diluted with water. Frequent feeds of these should satisfy and sustain any invalid, Vegan or non-Vegan."
SOYA FLOUR Since the publication of the Soya Recipes in the previous issue of " The V e g a n " several letters have been received stating that soya flour is now unobtainable. In consequence, a personal appeal was made to the millers of soya flour, resulting in a small quantity being made immediately available for Vegan use. Messrs. Pitman, of Vitaland, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, have kindly agreed to distribute this through their retail department, but the quantity is limited to 3 lbs. per order, price 7ÂŁd. per lb., postage extra. Pitmans, the pioneer firm in Vegan foods, have other interesting items to offer: Special Wholemeal Flours (bread flour, pastry flour, S.R. flour, rye flour), Nuto-Food and Soups; Seaside Paste; various . tinned Nutmeats; Vitanut Flakes and Wheat Flakes (both without points); Fruitarian Cakes. A complete list will be sent by Pitmans on request. All orders of fifteen shillings and over are sent carriage paid, by rail. Soya flour will keep quite fresh for a period of twelve months, if stored like ordinary flour in a cool, dry and airy place away from light. Small quantities can be kept quite easily in cotton flour bags in the flour bin. F.K.H.
THE. VEGAN 20
20
Extract
from House of Commons Official Report, July 17th, 1946 SOYA
BEANS
112. Mr. PETER FREEMAN asked the Minister of Food whether he will now arrange for an increased supply of soya beans to this country in view of their dietetic value and low cost, particularly for those who depend on soya products to replace meat, milk and animal fats. Mr. S T R A C H E Y : I am doing all I can to obtain increased supplies of soya beans, but the U . S . A . is at present virtually the only source of supply, and I have not been able to purchase all I would have liked from there. * MISCELLANEOUS (Id. a word. Establishments
where
Vegan
diet is
ADVERTISEMENTS.
Maximum 60 words.) provided.
P E N A R T H . — " Vegetarian H o m e , " Rectory Road. Rest, change, relaxation. Ideal situation. Pleasant holiday resort. Overlooking sea. Attractive, g e n e r o u s catering. Comfortable, peaceful. Children welcome. Moderate. S O M E R S E T . — G u e s t house, 16 acres fruit and vegetables. 8 mins. 'bus for Weston-super-Mare ( 7 miles). Cheddar 4 miles. Lovely views and local walks. V e g a n s , and those wishing to sample Veganism, especially welc o m e . A l l Vegetarians catered for. A m y Little, Uplands, Winscombe. 'Phone 2257. S T . C A T H E R I N E ' S S C H O O L , Knole Park, Almondsbury, nr. Bristol.—Progressive co-educational boarding school for children of all ages, specialisi n g in music, arts, crafts, etc., in addition to usual academic subjects. 4 0 0 feet up, overlooking Channel and W e l s h Hills. Swimming pool. O w n produce. Qualified Food Reform dietician as cook, willing to cater for V e g a n s as well as Vegetarians. 35 guineas per term. I L F R A C O M B E . — H o l i d a y accommodation. Entirely vegetarian. Vegan diet o n request. Central. 1 minute from sea. Terms moderate. Mr. and Mrs. F. C. Burton, Parkway, Oxford Grove. Tel. 85. N O R T H C O R N W A L L . — N e w Guest H o u s e now open. Can receive guests all the year round. Excellent position, with extensive views of moors and Atlantic. Vegan diet if desired. • Write Mr. and Mrs. Osborne Swain, "Tremorrab," Tintagel, Cornwall. Enclose s.a.e. for reply. L A K E D I S T R I C T . — B e c k Allans and Rothay Bank, Grasmere. Attractive guest houses for strenuous or restful holidays amid some of England's finest scenery. First-class Vegetarian and V e g a n diets. Modern conveniences. W r i t e : Isabel James. ' P h o n e : Grasmere 129.
ANNOUNCEMENTS. F I R S T - C L A S S Duplicating, Typewriting, etc. per 100. Three-hourly secretarial visits. Eyles, 2, Aberdeen Park, Highbury, N . 5 .
Private letter heading, 7 / 6 Enquiries invited. Mabel T e l . : Canonbury 3862.
Q U A K E R vegetarian would like educated woman to share her furnished h o m e in return for help in the house. References essential. Write Miss Victoria Leveson-Gower, 73, Greenway, Berkhamsted, Herts. ( W h e n replying to Advertisements, please mention The
Vegan.)
PITMAN
HEALTH FOODS LTD.
Pioneers in the Preparation without Dairy
of Vegetarian Produce
Foods
A w i d e range of specialities, including N u t Meats, Brawn, Rissole Powders, etc., are available to suit the taste, and consistent with the principles of Vegans and Vegetarians. Ask at your Health Food Store for all "Pitman" products, or, if unobtainable in your locality, write to the sole manufacturers at the address given below. P I T M A N H E A L T H F O O D S ARE CHEAPER T H A N ILL-HEALTH
VITALAND, FOUR OAKS, SUTTON COLDFIELD
Literature available
THE VEGAN
through
SOCIETY
Vegetarian Recipes Without Dairy Produce B Y MARGARET B .
RAWLS.
Contains successful recipes for 13 savouries and 11 sweets. 2d. post free.
"Should Vegetarians Eat Dairy Produce?" B y DONALD WATSON.
An eight-page pamphlet ^dealing with the question from several points of view. 3d. post free.
"Is Milk A Curse?" BY JAMES A . GOODFELLOW, M . B . ,
C.M.
A pamphlet in which the well-known doctor advances deeply scientific and philosophic arguments warning against the use of animals' milk. 3d. post free.
A BOOK O F N E W
IDEAS—
"Vegan Recipes" BY F A Y K .
Amplifying
HENDERSON.
the non-dairy
diet.
2/8 post free from The Secretary, The Vegan Society, 67 Evesham Road, Leicester.
•--
Printed by H. H.
GREAVES,
LTD.,
106/10, Lordship Lane, S.E.22,