248 THE VITAMINES 



Rice 



We have already touched upon most of the data on rice, including 

 those of Fraser and Stanton (I.e. 49), who showed by means of 

 illustrations how the loss of substances occurs during the polishing of 

 rice. From the appended illustration, we see why such great differ- 

 ences in the number of beriberi cases are apparent with the use of 

 polished and parboiled rice. The question as to whether polished 

 rice still contains vitamine B has likewise already been discussed. 

 It is important now to determine whether this rice contains vitamine 

 A, but we find no observations on this point. It would be of special 

 interest to see whether pigeons can be maintained for a long time on 

 polished rice with the addition of vitamine B. Funk and Dubin 

 (696) have started experiments in which pigeons are being fed on 

 rice to which has been added 5 per cent casein and 3 per cent salts, 

 and the mixture autoclaved at 120C. for 3 hours. By means of the 

 prolonged heating, it was expected that the rest of the vitamine A 

 would be destroyed. The pigeons have gained in weight and have 

 remained in good health for over six months. Despite the fact that 

 others have investigated this problem, it is not yet certain whether half 

 grown pigeons can live without an addition of vitamine A, or whether 

 it must be concluded that autoclaved, polished rice Still contains traces 

 of vitamine A. As regards the nutritive value of rice polishings, 

 Mattei (697) believed that pigeons could not be maintained on rice 

 polishings alone; he found that an addition of white rice was neces- 

 sary. Wise and Broomel (698 ) investigated the effect of the modern 

 milling methods on the composition of the remaining rice kernel. On 

 polishing, the husk germ, 6 layers of bran and a part of the seventh 

 layer were removed, so that the total loss in weight was about 10 

 per cent. On analysis, it was possible to show a loss of 70 per cent 

 ash, 85 per cent fat, and 10 per cent protein. To prevent these 

 losses, Guareschi (699) has suggested the use of rice which is not so 

 highly milled. 



Barley 



According to the older statements about barley, it seems that its 

 vitamine B is not localized in the same way as in other cereals. In 

 the older Japanese data, for example, that of Saneyoshi (700), we find 

 that barley can cure avian beriberi, whereas Weill and Mouriquand 



