Residential School Nutrition Experiments and B-Vitamins

Although the prevalence of malnutrition in residential schools was clearly established, Indigenous peoples were still used as experimental subjects to test nutrition requirements in malnourished children. At the Alberni residential school, the effects of federal underfunding led to unqualified staff members and poor kitchen facilities. This resulted in diets lacking vitamins A, B, and C and iodine due to inadequate portions of milk, fruits vegetables, eggs, and cheese being served to the children.^[1] Furthermore, it was reported that Indigenous children at Alberni had the highest rates of riboflavin (B2) deficiency, otherwise known as ariboflavinosis.^[2] As we have already discussed in this chapter, riboflavin deficiency is often accompanied by other dietary deficiencies (ie. protein or other B vitamins) and can result in symptoms such as dry skin, chapped lips, sore throat, itchy eyes, and light sensitivity. The increased rates of riboflavin deficiency at Alberni led to an experiment that tested the effects of tripling milk consumption on vitamin levels. However, inadequate milk consumption continued for two more years to provide researchers with a baseline measure they could use to evaluate the results of the study. On the other hand, at the Blood residential schools, Indigenous children were susceptible to thiamine (B1) deficiency, otherwise known as beriberi.^[3] As we have previously discussed, beriberi can result in symptoms of fatigue, disorientation, movement impairment, pain, swelling, and heart failure. The reports of thiamine deficiencies led to an experiment where Indigenous children were again used as subjects to test the effects of a supplemented Vitamin B flour. This study was implemented after a 2-year baseline period of continued malnutrition. Similarly, at St. Mary’s School, a “Newfoundland Flour Mix” was introduced to the diets of Indigenous children. However, the flour had not yet been approved for legal sale outside of Newfoundland due to added thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and bonemeal.  Furthermore, although the flour provided no benefits to the students, the incidences of anemia exponentially grew shortly after the flour was introduced to the school diet.^[4]

These examples are only a few of the many nutrition science experiments that were conducted in residential schools. Each of these experiments showcases how Indigenous children were experimented on without their consent or knowledge, as they were intentionally starved and stripped of their bodily autonomy to serve different research interests.