ON THE MAKING OF A CLINICAL NUTRITIONIST

Clinical nutrition may be defined as the application of the principles of nutrition science and medical practice to the diagnosis, treatment , and prevention of human disease caused by the deficiency, excess, or metabolic imbalance of nutrients. At present, many physicans do not a ppreciate the great traditions established by their forebears in this field (Hippocrates, Lind, Eijkman, Glisson, Casal, Livingstone, Hopkin s, and Goldberger). They have tended to avoid nutritional problems, pl ead ignorance of nutrition principles, and delegate the nutritional ca re of their patients to paramedical personnel. Only by changing this s ituation can members of the medical profession offer adequate care to their patients. In this chapter, I have attempted to present the dutie s and responsibilities of a clinical nutritionist in an academic envir onment. A well-trained academician in such a position can improve the education of medical students in nutrition, attract well-motivated gra duates into nutrition training programs, and establish clinical nutrit ion as a bona fide subspecialty of medicine.