VITAMINE CONTENT OF FOODSTUFFS 251 



develop beriberi. Under the same experimental conditions, Driscoll 

 (710) noted a condition which he thought was similar to pellagra in 

 man; among other symptoms, he observed an erythema of the legs; 

 the chickens recovered when given whole corn. Clementi (711) fed 

 chickens on cooked corn and "polenta" and observed a development 

 of nervous and digestive disturbances, but only after many months 

 of feeding. Szalagyi and Kriwuscha (712) also conducted some corn 

 feeding experiments with chickens, ducks and geese. 



Urbeanu (713) carried out some rat and chicken experiments, and 

 noted some skin symptoms in both. In the former, this was apparent 

 only after 10 to 12 months of feeding, and was favorably influenced 

 by the addition of potatoes and soya beans. Suarez (714), experi- 

 menting with pigeons and mice, observed in both a disease similar 

 to beriberi after 25 to 35 days, which was favorably affected by 

 yeast. Experimenting with dogs, Nitzesco (715) stated that corn 

 was not a complete food. Rondoni (716) attempted to use guinea 

 pigs in his pellagra work, but recognized that these animals were 

 unsuited for this purpose, and therefore suggested that the work be 

 continued on man and monkeys. 



Hogan (717) fed corn simultaneously to rats and pigs; in the 

 former, this diet was very nearly sufficient, but in the latter, a lack 

 of protein was noted, since on adding egg-albumin, growth was 

 resumed. This brings us to a consideration of the nutritive value of 

 corn proteins, a subject which has assumed considerable significance 

 in the etiology of pellagra. In this connection, Mendel and Fine (718) 

 carried out a series of dog experiments. According to their results, 

 corn glutellin, a preparation consisting of zein and glutenin, seemed 

 to be as well utilized as meat. The relationship between the two 

 protein components varied within certain limits, but averaged 1:1. 

 The proteins were separated by means of alcohol, in which zein is 

 soluble. Osborne and Mendel (719) and Baglioni (720) conducted 

 experiments on the nutritive value of corn protein. The utilization 

 was better with the flour than with the proteins isolated. All three 

 products however gave a nitrogen retention, and it would therefore 

 be concluded that corn also contains proteins of a higher nutritive 

 value than that of zein. McCollum and Simmonds (721) found that 

 when rats are fed on a mixture of 80 per cent corn and 20 per cent 

 beans, there is still evidence of a lack of vitamine A and protein. 



