THE VITAMINES IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 153 



investigations appear still to be lacking. Above all, it must be 

 determined, in the event that the disturbance of metabolism may be 

 cured by the addition of phosphorus, how vitamine A and C, which 

 may well be present in poor vegetation in sub-optimal amounts, 

 would act. The influence of these vitamines on pica has been very 

 little investigated. 



Monkeys 



Only the lower types of monkey have been used of late for vitamine 

 studies; the first work was that of Schaumann (I.e. 2) who fed 

 monkeys on washed white rice, with the result that the animals died 

 in 74 days. Before death, there was paresis of the hind legs, the 

 appetite had disappeared and the animal showed a 27 per cent loss 

 in weight. The histological nerve findings were not so typical for 

 experimental beriberi, and controls with the addition of vitamine B 

 were lacking, to prove that this condition really was caused by lack 

 of this substance. Shiga and Kusama (448) have described a real 

 beriberi in monkeys, with anasarca, hydropericardium and edema of 

 the lungs, while Noe (449) was unable to induce beriberi in these 

 animals by feeding rice. McCarrison (450) tried then to produce 

 beriberi in Macacus sinicus, by feeding autoclaved, ground white 

 rice, while in another experiment extra butter was added. The first 

 group died in about 23.4 days and the second (with butter), after 15 

 days. None of the animals lived longer than 100 days. Although 

 typical beriberi or edema was not noted, the clinical symptoms 

 consisted of progressive anemia, gastro-intestinal disturbances and 

 progressive asthenia. Stomach, intestinal walls and omentum were 

 very thin and had lost their fat content. Congested, necrotic and 

 inflammatory changes were apparent in the entire gastro-intestinal 

 tract. Aside from this, there were degenerative changes in the 

 neuro-muscular apparatus of the intestines, leading to the distention 

 of the stomach and to other parts of the intestine. Signs of necrosis 

 were seen in the secretory layers, and attenuation of the elements 

 protective against infection was noted. These findings need not of 

 course be attributed only to a lack of vitamine B, since in the diet 

 utilized, vitamine C was also lacking. 



The monkey is of greater value in the study of scurvy, as was 

 found by Hart (451), and later by Hart and Lessing (452). Young 

 monkeys kept on condensed cooked milk, rice and white bread, 



