50 Years Ago

Recent investigations have shown that the fluoride content of Greek teeth from the cities of Athens and Salonika was considerably high. This may explain, at least in part, the low prevalence of dental caries observed in Greece ... With the exception of sea salt, however, the fluoride content of other foods commonly produced and consumed in Greece is not known ... The analyses showed that the fluoride content of olive oil from the Island of Crete was 0.36 p.p.m. and that from the area of Kalamai 0.63 p.p.m ... it appears that the inclusion of olive oil in the daily Greek diet does not make any significant contribution to the amount of ingested fluoride. Thus, at present, sea salt remains an important source of dietary fluoride in Greece for protection against dental caries. This may well be the case in other countries, such as Taiwan, Ceylon and Lebanon, where because of local food customs the amount of sea salt consumed has been estimated to be considerable: about 1620 g per person per day.

From Nature 14 March 1964

100 Years Ago

Think of the Niagaras of speech pouring silently through the New York telephone exchanges where they are sorted out, given a new direction, and delivered audibly perhaps a thousand miles away. New York has 450,000 instruments — twice the number of those in London. Los Angeles has a telephone to every four inhabitants ... Our whole social structure has been reorganised. We have been brought together in a single parlour for conversation and to conduct affairs, because the American Telephone and Telegraph company spends annually for research ... a sum greater than the total income of many universities.

From Nature 12 March 1914