An ordinary meeting of the Society was held on the 6th December 2007. The President was in the Chair. The meeting started with a period of silence in memory of Professor James Ellis and Dr Keith Hubble. The minutes were read and approved. The President then introduced the speaker, The Reverend Simon House, who spoke to the title: Battle for the Brain: the Science of Nutritional and Emotional Nurture from Before Conception Focussing on the Brain.

He said that he formerly worked for Fisons agro chemicals and pharmaceuticals. He became interested in cortical development and has researched the subject extensively. He described evolution as a competition for DHA – docosahexaenoic acid an omega 3 essential fatty acid. He postulated that the brain of homosapiens became large because all human evolution took place next to water and therefore fish would have been a major constituent of the diet. The only big brained mammals are humans and sea mammals. He said that preformed DHA from food is seven times as efficient as the self metabolised material and that a poor DHA diet affects the ovum and sperm. The brain is 10% DHA and breast milk is rich in DHA so a diet high in this is needed in pregnancy and lactation for brain development. The DHA content of food is reduced by intensive farming. A lack of DHA in the diet contributes to ADHD, other behavioural problems, postnatal depression, poor social development, poor verbal reasoning and lack of fine motor skills. He described double blinded experiments with young offenders being given omega3 supplements with a reduction in violent episodes. His talk was controversial and discussions both during and after it reflected this.

The Hon Treasurer then presented the members with the accounts which showed an improved financial situation due to the increase in subscription.

There being no other business the meeting was closed at 10.15 pm