Study Notes on Colonial Nutrition Research 1942-1952

Research conducted by leading nutrition experts in Canada.
Focus on Aboriginal communities and residential schools without informed consent.
Explores exploitation and neglect by the Canadian government.
Context of changing federal policies and attitude towards biomedical ethics.

Timeframe: 1942-1952, during World War II and post-war.
Initiation: Researchers began with scientific and medical expeditions to Cree communities in Northern Manitoba.
Sponsors: Indian Affairs, Milbank Memorial Fund, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Hudson’s Bay Company.
Key Individuals: Dr. Percy Moore (Medical Services) and Wing Commander Dr. Frederick Tisdall (nutrition expert, co-inventor of Pablum).
Objective: Study nutrition and health using new medical procedures.

Locations: Norway House, Cross Lake, God’s Lake Mine, Rossville, The Pas.
Methods: Medical procedures including physical exams, blood tests, x-rays on nearly 400 residents.
**Findings: ** Malnutrition, high rates of disease, particularly tuberculosis.
- Tuberculosis death rate = 1,400 per 100,000 in Indigenous populations vs. 27.1 for non-Aboriginal.
- Infant mortality eight times higher than the national average.
- Identified symptoms of hunger linked to broader health issues in these communities.
Hypothesis: Traits such as shiftlessness might stem from malnutrition rather than inherent racial characteristics.
Proposal for a longer study to demonstrate effects of nutritional interventions.

Further studies conducted as the federal strategy evolved post-WWII.
The 1947-1948 James Bay Survey:
- Leadership included Tisdall and Moore.
- Aimed to investigate food supply improvements and encourage Aboriginal self-sufficiency.
- Involvement of extensive personnel and funding from multiple governmental and private sources.
Observations: Significant dependence on relief, poor conditions in food supply leading to malnutrition.

Paternalistic Framework: Studied malnourished children without informed consent; viewed as experimental subjects.
Main Experiment: 300 malnourished Aboriginal children received vitamin supplements (riboflavin, thiamine).
Control Groups: Lack of evidence of ethical consent or even understanding of the experimental conditions.
Alternative narratives emerged about the necessity of improving nutrition without sacrificing ethical standards of care.

Evidence of systemic hunger verified only through official investigations; persistent neglect evident.
Investigators found poor kitchen conditions and inadequate nutritional provisions against government standards.
Notable findings included:
- Schools served severely deficient diets lacking essentials such as meat, milk, fruits, and vegetables.
- State funding mechanisms led to inadequate food supplies, yet response focused on further investigations rather than funding increases.

After initial studies, despite findings pointing to severe malnourishment, findings often led to reiteration of studies instead of corrective actions.
Findings did not facilitate urgent improvements needed in nutritional provisions and led to Misguided interventions.
School Investigations: Often conducted with prior notice, limiting effectiveness; conditions were temporarily improved during inspections, but not sustained post-inspection.

Conducted five-year nutritional studies across six residential schools, using students as subjects without their informed consent.
Tests included modifying diet patterns to investigate deficiencies but failed to fundamentally address students' dietary needs.
Noted experiments involved direct feedback from the students, perceived compliance, and insights into their food preferences which were manipulated based on these findings.

Overall, studies conducted between 1942-1952 made little sustainable positive impact on Aboriginal communities or students.
The emphasis remained on nutritional hypotheses over actionable changes in the systems of care leading to improved nourishment for these populations.
Misguided perceptions of Aboriginal dependence continued to perpetuate systems of inequality and colonialist perspectives in the aftermath of the experimental studies.