212 



THE VITAMIXES 



Here, we see that the disease develops almost simultaneously when 

 comparable amounts of rice are fed. Later, we (560) showed that 

 when pigeons are fed 5, 10 and 20 grams of rice daily that the disease 

 develops the sooner, the more rice is fed : 



We also tested this observation on a synthetic diet, the pigeons 

 receiving equal quantities of food (12.5 grams) in every case: 



From these findings we concluded, at that time, that vitamine B 

 plays a particular part in the carbohydrate metabolism, since on 

 feeding large amounts of carbohydrates, the pigeons developed the 

 disease sooner. Our observations on the influence of rice feeding 

 were confirmed by Braddon and Cooper (I.e. 551 and 561) in 1914, 

 by Weill and Mouriquand (562) and also by Green (I.e. 526). Green, 

 however, assumed that not only carbohydrates but the entire metabo- 

 lism plays a role in the vitamine requirements. However, other 

 investigators were not in accord with our views. For example, 

 Eijkman and Hoogenhuyze (I.e. 557) found that an addition of 

 meat did not prevent the appearance of beriberi symptoms. Inas- 

 much as this disease may occur likewise on an exclusive meat diet, 

 they used this in combating our views. Since about 40 per cent of 

 the protein in the body is transformed into glycogen, and since the 

 destruction of the tissues proceeds similarly in starvation, these 

 facts, in reality, cannot be used to discredit our findings. Vedder's 

 (563) conclusions were similar to those of the Dutch investigators. 

 Altogether he carried out five experiments, which are perhaps less 

 convincing than appears at first sight. 



