CHAPTER I 

 THE ANTIBERIBERI VITAMINE VITAMINE B 



In the foregoing chapters, we have discussed facts which permitted 

 of the assumption of the existence of at least three different vitamine 

 types. A great number of investigations of a chemical nature have 

 already made their appearance, dealing with the characteristics of 

 these important substances; it may indeed be said that no single 

 division of physiological chemistry has latterly been productive of 

 more publications than that of the vitamines. The reason is that 

 new facts and observations are obtained with an ease that is truly 

 astounding. Because of this, many investigators have failed to 

 penetrate more deeply into this subject. They have satisfied them- 

 selves, as a rule, with results obtained by indirect conclusions. This 

 condition of marking time and useless quibbling provides an excellent 

 opportunity for the representatives of destructive criticism which, 

 here more than in any other field of research, is effective in hindering 

 the solution of our problem. In spite of these difficulties, the knowl- 

 edge of the nature of the vitamines progresses gradually, and we may 

 hope that with the resumption of scientific research, after the war, 

 the desired goal the chemical isolation of the vitamines is not far 

 distant. 



A question which we must touch upon is the comparison often 

 made between the vitamines and the ferments, a relationship 

 specially emphasized by Seidell (462a). Since the nature of the 

 ferments, in spite of the many years of study, still remains to be 

 cleared up, this comparison raises a poor prognosis as to the outcome 

 of our vitamine investigations. However, we find many far reaching 

 differences between these two classes of substances. Whereas we 

 may observe in ferments that in a temperature interval between 50 

 and 70 C., there is a sudden snapping, like the over-wound main 

 spring in a clock, we note in vitamines that the inactivation proceeds 

 gradually with an increase in temperature. In general, the complete 

 destruction of vitamines is seen after a much higher temperature 

 than in ferments. The vitamines appear to us, as compared with 

 ferments, to have a relatively simple structure, and it would be highly 

 desirable to have more pure organic chemists take up this problem. 



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