THE ANTISCORBUTIC VITAMINE 235 



As regards the oxidizability of vitamine C, Fowler (635) showed 

 that milk preserved with hydrogen peroxide is scurvy producing. 

 Hess (636) believed that milk or canned tomatoes shaken with air 

 lose considerably in their antiscorbutic activity. 



According to Zilva (I.e. 513) ultra-violet light has no influence on 

 the activity of vitamine C. Adsorption likewise does not affect this 

 vitamine. It may be treated with fullers earth or colloidal iron, 

 according to Harden and Zilva (I.e. 89), and it may also be filtered 

 through a Berkefeld filter without loss of activity. Zilva and 

 Miura (636a) were unable to separate vitamines B and C by means 

 of differential dialysis. 



As for the significance of vitamine C in the organism, very little is 

 known, and what little knowledge there is available will be described 

 under human scurvy. The question as to whether the parenteral 

 administration of vitamine C is effective has been answered differently 

 by different investigators. Hoist and Frolich (I.e. 359) gave this 

 vitamine intraperitoneally, and Harden and Zilva (I.e. 624) found 

 it inactive on subcutaneous injection. Hess and Unger (637), on 

 the contrary, working with children, showed that intravenous 

 therapy with weakly alkaline orange juice is possible, and they 

 recommend this procedure. 



Here, too, as with vitamine B, Hess (638) accepted first that a 

 large addition of carbohydrates hastens the onset of scurvy, but 

 he (639) has changed his view recently. Hess has tried by addition 

 of 3 per cent flour to the milk to hasten the onset of scurvy in chil- 

 dren, with negative results. We do not believe, however, that this 

 amount of carbohydrate is sufficient to influence the effect one way 

 or the other. 



