118 



THE VITAMINES 



Effect on rats of the lack of vitamine B. If a diet is chosen, complete 

 in everything else but lacking in vitamines A and B, a nitrogen 

 balance can be maintained for 24 days, according to the findings of 

 Desgrez and Bierry (332). If the experiments are extended for a 

 longer time, we obtain the following curve, reproduced in the Report 



CMS 



100 



80 



60 



40- 



20 



I 



10 20 <30 40 DAYS 



FIG. 23. SIGNIFICANCE OP VITAMINE B FOR GROWTH OF RATS 



Vitamine A was present as butter; addition of yeast indicated by * (Funk- 

 Macallum). 



of the English Medical Research Committee (333) on vitamines. It 

 may be seen that growth ceases completely if both vitamines are 

 lacking, and the animals would have died if these factors had not 

 been administered in time. The addition of vitamine A only had no 

 influence on the growth, while the addition of vitamine B resulted in 

 slight growth, which, however, stopped again after a short time. 



