Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Volume 71 November 1978 In the test situations monitored, the maximum sound intensity was at the lower frequency range which hitherto has not attracted attention as a possible cause of either hearing or general physiological disturbance in the newborn. Our local environmental health officers have encountered a number of adults who have felt unwell whilst living near factories generating low frequency sounds which have affected their feeling of well-being. Whilst at this time we have no objective evidence of disturbed physiology in the newborn or hearing deficiency resulting from this intensity of low frequency sound, we wish to draw attention to this possibility. Until the total effect of incubator noise over the whole sound spectrum upon the newly-born infant has been fully evaluated, any exposure to increased levels of noise is undesirable. Yours sincerely F HARRIS D S PICKUP

M EASTWOOD D H COLLINS S WILLIAMS

22 August 1978

853

Potassium, sodium, magnesium, copper and phosphorus are other nutrients reduced in milling. Furthermore, not all the vitamins and essential minerals contained in wholewheat are listed in the available analyses. Are we really to understand that to discard all these nutrients is of no consequence in any case? How is it that these nutrients contribute to the nutrition of farm animals? An interesting feature in the editorial is Professor Yudkin's demonstration that excess of sucrose affects the body's handling both of glucose and of fat. KENNETH BARLOW

21 August 1978

Bibliography Aykroid W R & Doughty J (1970) Wheat in Human Nutrition. Food and Agriculture Organization, UNO, Rome Barlow K (1978) The Law and the Loaf. Precision Press, Marlow Conference on the Post War Loaf (1945) Cmnd 6701. HMSO, London Flour Advisory Bureau Composition of Flour Used in Bread Making. London Panel on Composition and Nutritive Value of Flour (1956) HMSO, London Second Report on Bread & Flour (1974) Cmnd FSC/REP 61. Ministry of Agriculture, London

Reference Barmes S E, Baum J D & Rolfe P (1977) Lancet i, 554-545

Carbohydrate confusion From Dr Kenneth Barlow Chairman, The McCarrison Society, Thornborough, Buckingham Dear Sir, Professor Yudkin's editorial 'Carbohydrate confusion' (August Journal, p 551) makes astonishing reading. As shown in Table 1, nutrients are diminished in the milling of wholewheat. (Although additions of iron, calcium, nicotinic acid and thiamin to white flour are mandatory, their concentrations (excepting calcium) remain lower than in wholewheat.) Table 1. Effects on nutrients ofmilling 100% wheat to 70%

70% Protein (% in g) Fat (% in g) Fibre (% in g) Thiamin (mg/100 g) Riboflavin (mg/100 g) Nicotinic acid (mg/100 g) Iron (mg/100 g) Calcium (mg/100 g) Manganese (mg/100 g)

Wholewheat

extraction flour

12.20 2.40 2.00 0.37 0.12 5.70 3.50 30.00 3.40

11.30 1.60 0.10 0.08 0.05 0.08 1.25 20.00 1.20

Sir Ronald Ross From Dr John T Hutchinson King's College Hospital, London SE5 9RS Dear Sir, I enjoyed Mary Gibson's recent paper on Sir Ronald Ross and his contemporaries (August Journal, p 611). However, I was intrigued by her brief mention of the Malaria Research Unit at the 4th London General Hospital at Denmark Hill (p 616). Was that sited in the Maudsley Hospital which did not open officially until after the 191418 war? If so, it is a hitherto unknown aspect of the history of the Maudsley Hospital. I have seen mentions from time-to-time of these London General Hospitals for war wounded but I have not seen any history of them. It would be interesting to learn more about them. Yours sincerely JOHN T HUTCHINSON

15 August 1978 A copy of Dr Hutchinson's letter was shown to Miss Gibson and her reply appears below: Dear Sir, In answer to Dr Hutchinson's inquiry about the 4th London General Hospital during World War I, the official history of the war (Macpherson 1921) says that 'the 4th London General Hospital, for example, found accommodation in the new King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill'. Sir Ronald Ross was appointed