VITAMIN D OR MELANIN DEPRIVATION

When I was a kid my folks took the Reader's Digest condensed books. One volume contained My Life in Court by a lawyer named Louis Nizer. Once chapter detailed a libel suit by a writer named Quentin Reynolds against a virulant columnist named Westbrook Pegler. One of Pegler's claims was that Reynolds had lied about his time as a WWII correspondant in Egypt. Reynold's countered not only with testimony of fellow correspondants but medical records. He had been treated for sun poisoning. Reynolds was an Irish, freckled, red head who literally had to stay out of the sun for the sake of his health. Was never quite sure why until he met the army doctor who asked him where his parents were from in Ireland. I forget the name of the county but this is literally cloudy or foggy more than three hundred days a year. Hence the very fair skin.

This is a round about way to an idea. Most folks with fair skins come from northern Europe through  Central Europe,the Balkins, and northern Russia. Taking emigration into account. Theory. Caucasians are not superior because they have fair skin. They have fair skin to limited amounts of sun available during late fall, winter, and early spring a chance for their bodies to produce vitamin D. Not sure where the blond and red hair and blue eyes fit in this theory.

Of course it doesn't matter so much in an era of decent diet and kids not having to go into the factories or down the mines in the developed countries. Next time somebody claims his fair skin and blond hair make him or her superior to everyone else just remind him or her about vitamin D.

Studying evolution, geography and physical Anthropology just might allow some folks to come to this conclusion themselves. No wonder some Republicans believe that higher education isn't good for the country.

Reynolds won his libel suit and later wrote a pretty decent autobiography titled By Quentin Reynolds. The Internet Archive library has a copy last time I checked. Pegler's allegations covered more than the time in Egypt. Actually pretty nasty from a man who was once one of Reynold's friends.