A GREAT CRAVING FOR SALT BY A CHILD WITH CORTICO-ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY

Abstract

Special food cravings or aversions have received only passing interest in modern medicine and have been almost entirely neglected in modern nutrition. This is due to the prevalent view that appetite cannot be trusted as a guide to the proper selection of foods. Results of experiments on rats using the self-selection technic indicate, on the contrary, that a very close relationship exists between appetite and nutritional needs of minerals and vitamins, as well as of fats, carbohydrates and proteins. In human beings there are only a few instances which throw light on the relationship between appetite and dietary needs. Davis¹reported that when very young normal children were given free access to a large number of natural foods they made selections which resulted in normal growth and development. She also reported that a child with vitamin A deficiency took large amounts of cod liver oil and thereby caused the