THE VITAMINES IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 131 



Hoist, the guinea pigs soon lost their appetite and died, presenting 

 mixed symptoms of scurvy and starvation. Therefore, it signified a 

 step forward when, according to the procedure of Chick and Hume 

 (373), the animals were given an addition of sterilized milk. This 

 addition did not delay the development of the disease the general 

 condition of the animals being markedly improved and corre- 

 sponded with the view advanced by McCollum and his school as to 

 the nutritive value of oats. The demonstration of experimental 

 scurvy was no longer difficult, especially after the introduction of the 

 milk addition, and investigations on this subject were easily carried 

 out. For this purpose, Cohen and Mendel (374) used animals 

 weighing from 110 to 250 grams. They believed that cod liver oil 

 had no influence on scurvy, so. that a complication of rickets was 

 no cause for concern. Scurvy can be produced by feeding soya bean 

 flour, which contains enough of vitamines A and B, supplemented 

 with cellulose and salts. Hess and Unger (375) used oats, hay and 

 water (to this may also be added cod liver oil) as a basal diet and 

 found that guinea pigs weighing from 200 to 300 grams developed 

 scurvy in two to three weeks. 



In the Lister Institute in London, where many investigations on 

 guinea pigs are being made, the original method of Hoist and Frolich 

 was modified so that the diet consisted of oats, bran and 60 cc. jof 

 milk for guinea pigs weighing 350 grams. The milk is autoclaved 

 for one hour at 120C.; on this diet the animals grow normally for 

 about 15 to 20 days, after which the first symptoms of scurvy are 

 noticed. The animals lose weight, and after 30 to 40 days they die 

 of acute scurvy. In the presence of sufficient vitamine C, growth is 

 uninterrupted. 



The symptoms, already largely described by Hoist and Frolich, 

 are as follows: the molars become loose, with bleeding of the gums. 

 Sometimes a bluish hyperemia is noticed and in rare cases, ulceration. 

 Apart from this, hemorrhages are common in the soft parts of the 

 knee joints and under the periosteum of the sternal ends of the ribs. 

 Very often the connection between the ribs and the cartilage is 

 loosened; there is a severing between the epiphysis and the shaft of 

 the bones, especially the tibia. Later there occur duodenal ulcers, 

 brittleness of the bones, hematuria and edema. In addition to these 

 symptoms Chick and her co-workers (376) observed extreme pain and 

 swellings of the joints, even in the first stages. The animal assumes 



