PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS DUE TO LACK OF VITAMINES 383 



dealing here with a new conception in pathology. According to 

 Macfie (1516), it is a non-contagious infection which may be pre- 

 vented and cured by diet. Funk arid Macallum (I.e. 86) reported 

 that they could prevent this eye disease by antiseptic treatment, and 

 this was concurred in by Bulley (1517). Later, however, from the 

 same laboratory in which Bulley worked, the report of Stephenson 

 and Clark (1518) appeared refuting Bulley's findings. They believed 

 that Bulley's results were due to the contamination of the casein by 

 vitamine A. In these cases, the eyes were also examined bacteri- 

 ologically. The infection was shown to be unspecific, and it is of 

 interest that before the development of the disease, no histological 

 changes were found to account for the slight resistance towards the 

 infection. In addition, Stephenson and Clark found that not all 

 animals lacking vitamine A develop ophthalmia. Wason (1518a), 

 who called the disease "ophthalmia," arrived at the same conclusion 

 on the basis of her findings. The specificity of ophthalmia, as 

 being due to lack of vitamine A, has recently been studied by Emmett 

 (1519). His statistical data are as follows: 



1. Without vitamine A 122 rats; ophthalmia in 120 = 98.3 per cent. 



2. Without vitamine B 103 rats; ophthalmia in = 0. 



3. Normal diet 216 rats; ophthalmia in = 0. 



This disease could not be transmitted from one animal to another. 

 Mendel (1520) observed no ophthalmia among 7000 rats fed on 

 insufficient protein, and in 225 rats which were given no B-vitamine. 

 However, out of 136 rats receiving no A-vitamine, 69 developed the 

 disease. The author has personally never worked with great num- 

 bers of rats; we have had usually about 30 rats at one time under 

 observation, but on several occasions we have seen ophthalmia in 

 the presence of sufficient butter or cod liver oil. Thus, Funk and 

 Dubin (I.e. 331) have recently noted two such cases out of 30 rats. 

 These two manifested intermittent ophthalmia, lasting for a short 

 time, disappearing, and re-appearing in a few days, but permanent 

 lesions were recognizable. This form was favorably influenced by 

 yeast. It is worthy of note that Guiral (1521) reported ophthalmia 

 in children, who were completely cured by orange juice in 8 to 10 

 days. We are in possession of the private data of specialists who 

 observed the eye condition in the presence of vitamine A, which 

 was favorably affected by orange juice. Still, it must certainly be 



