UP FRONT Welcome to this final issue of 2019 and the first of 2020! We’ve made it through another 12 months, and we welcome in not on only a new year but a new decade – the NEW roaring 20s! It’s amazing to think that 100 years ago we were on the verge of a decade that saw a collection of truly life-changing discoveries, inventions and creations. During the 1920s, the first commercial radio station was launched, soon to be followed by the advanced development of television towards the end of the decade by John Logie Baird. Music and television were only just starting to reach the masses, a huge step up at the time from reading the latest news in the broadsheets and still a world away from the 24/7 online access we have to information resources. In health and nutrition, insulin was first used in the treatment of diabetes in 1922, discovered by Banting, Best and Macleod at the University of Toronto and we also saw new vitamins being identified and researched. In 1928, Adolph Windaus received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, received for his studies on vitamin D and its connection with sunlight. Sir Frederick Hopkins and Christiaan Eijkman also received a Nobel Prize in 1929 for their work around ‘growth stimulating vitamins’, which we now know as some of the B vitamins. We saw all women over the age of 21 being granted the vote in 1928. Women felt more confident and empowered, with new independence, which was reflected in the fashion and styles of the day. Hair and dresses were shorter; women started to smoke, drink and drive motorcars. The ‘flapper’, who was generally considered attractive, reckless
and independent, appeared on the scene; with her wild behaviour, she was often shocking to society. 1920s-style girl power was definitely a thing! And it was not just the female Bright Young Things who were making changes in the 1920s. In early 1924, Margaret Bondfield, was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Labour – the first woman ever to become a government minister. The 1920s saw an almighty boom in many things creative, nutritional, industrial and societal; setting the wheels in motion for life as we know it today. However, poverty within the working classes was stark in contrast to the middle and upper classes. The end of the decade saw mass unemployment, poverty and economic decline, leading to the depression of the 1930s. We start the ‘new’ 20s in a challenging position, not fully sure of the political events that will unfold over the coming months, with concerns for our NHS and social care on the agenda. You could say that little that has changed in our society since those discoveries and innovations of the 1920s. However, there is always scope for new ideas and new ways of working. The 2020s are sure to be a rollercoaster ride, but we’ll no doubt create our own version of the ‘roaring 20s’ with added modern twists! Emma
Emma Coates Editor Emma has been a Registered Dietitian for 12 years, with experience of adult and paediatric dietetics.
www.NHDmag.com December 2019 / January 2020 - Issue 150
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