NUTRITION IN MAN 



345 



proteins, in a more or less impure condition (for the degree of purity 

 can naturally not be accurately determined), besides the known 

 cleavage products, still contain something that has been unknown 

 to us. It is very tempting to associate this substance with the 

 etiology of pellagra and similar conditions, though we must admit, 

 that the basis for it is at present hardly at hand. This assumption, 

 however, explains some of the established facts about pellagra very 

 well, as we shall presently see. 



* The meat, sugar, starch, and lard were tested and found to be free from 

 vitamine B. 



t In this instance, the figure represents the increase after 60 days, and is 

 practically the same after 80 days, since most of the animals had already 

 attained full size. 



t Vitamine given during last 55 days. 



The rats on the protein diet did not require the addition of extra vitamine 

 (autolyzed yeast) at all. This may be regarded as the "sparing action of 

 protein on the vitamine requirement." On the other hand, the rats on the 

 fat diet took the extra vitamine with great avidity, but showed only a small 

 advantage over the controls. The replacement of some of the fat by butter 

 was without any significance, no improvement being noted. 



On the starch diet, the rats actually needed extra vitamine (about 2 cc. 

 per day) in order to resume growth. This was likewise true of the rats on 

 the sugar diet except that they appeared not to require as much vitamine for 

 growth as those on the starch diet. 



