THE VITAMINES IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 155 



The third animal was given olive oil, and died after 262 days without 

 characteristic symptoms. Butter had no growth-promoting influ- 

 ence. Since the diet was very poor in fat, and since the significance 

 of fat for monkeys is not known, the investigators wished to await 

 further results before saying what role vitamine A plays in the 

 development of this edema. However, Hewlett and de Korte (459) 

 stated that in 1907 he had described edema in monkeys which had 

 received sufficient milk to provide for their vitamine A requirements; 

 nevertheless, he might have been dealing with a lack of vitamine B. 

 No albumin was noted in the urine of these animals. 



In conclusion, we wish to point out that Chick and Hume (460) 

 have described, in a monkey, a condition which might be considered 

 to be identical with human pellagra. The diet used consisted of 

 sugar, corn starch, salts and corn gluten, in varying amounts, so 

 that in this way more or less protein was given. All of the three 

 known vitamines were present in the diet. We shall speak again of 

 this experiment in discussing the etiology of pellagra. 



For the investigators who are interested in nutrition experiments 

 with these animals, it may be of interest to point out how monkeys 

 are raised by dealers and fed in our zoological gardens. Schaumann 

 (I.e. 2) states that in the Institute for Ship and Tropical Hygiene in 

 Hamburg, monkeys are kept on a porridge made of cooked white 

 rice; in addition they receive carob seed, peanuts and fruits. On 

 personal inquiry at the New York Zoological Garden, we learned that 

 the monkeys were given cooked rice, a cup of milk, bananas, apples, 

 sweet potatoes, onions and carrots; once a week they were given 

 some powdered sulphur. The chimpanzee received two raw eggs in 

 milk, bananas, two oranges and a dozen cooked prunes every two 

 days. The monkeys lived for years on these diets in very good 

 health. 



Vitamine requirements of man 



After having discussed the vitamine and food requirements of 

 various animals, we are prepared to study the above relationship in 

 man. It is not infrequently seen that clinicians are unwilling to 

 apply the results of animal experimentation to man, and they are 

 justified in being sceptical. Yet we must emphasize that all we have 

 discussed in the preceding chapters is based upon a solid foundation. 

 We are dealing here with the fundamental laws of cell nutrition 



