Frank Wokes

Frank Wokes (1 February 1892 – 1 April 1974) was an English biochemist, nutritionist and vegetarianism activist known for his research on the nutritional aspects of Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B12 deficiency. He was an early advocate of food fortification.

Career

Wokes was born on 1 February 1892 in Liverpool. His father was Thomas Siminson Wokes of Grassendale.

He qualified at the London School of Pharmacy in 1914 and studied biochemistry and nutrition at the University of Liverpool. He served with the Vegetarian Field and Ambulance Unit during World War I. The Centre was eventually incorporated into the Vegetarian Society. At the centre he conducted experiments on plant alternatives to cow's milk. In 1974, it was described as an "international journal devoted to the role of plant foods in human nutrition and designed to discuss methods of dealing with the problem of world food shortage."

Wokes authored over one hundred scientific papers on nutrition, some of which were on Vitamin B12.

He attended the 18th World Vegetarian Congress in 1965 and applied as a member to form their Science Council.

Vitamin B12 research

The deficiency of Vitamin B12 which may occur in vegans was first described by Wokes to the International Congress of Nutrition in Amsterdam in 1954. Wokes and the Vegetarian Nutritional Research Centre took interest in studying the health of vegans in India as they were marked with Vitamin B12 deficiency more than vegetarians consuming dairy products.

Family

Wokes married Gladys Winifred Gale in September 1930.

Selected publications

A Textbook of Applied Biochemistry for Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Students (1937) A Strict Vegetarian Diet (1938) Food: The Deciding Factor (1941) The Chemical Estimation of Nicotinic Acid in Cereals and Other Foods (with Eirene M. Janes and F. W. Norris, 1947) Vitamin C in Potatoes (with Gordon Nunn, 1948) The Direct Use of Plant Materials by Man (1952) Human Dietary Deficiency of Vitamin B12 (1955) The Role of Vitamin B12 in Human Nutrition (with C. W. Picard, 1955) Some Nutritional Aspects of Vitamin B12 (1958) Dietary Deficiency in Vitamin B12 (1960) The Treatment of Dietary Deficiency of Vitamin B12 with Vegetable Protein Foods (with F. R. Ellis, 1967)