voegtlin: role of vitamines in nutrition 593 



chickens were fed on corn bread of the following composition: 

 600 gm. of corn meal, 800 cc. of sweet milk, and 10 gm. of baking 

 soda. Chickens fed on corn bread made with 600 gm. of corn 

 meal, 800 cc. of sweet milk and 10 gm. sodium chloride did not 

 subsequently exhibit at any time symptoms of polyneuritis. 4 



It should be strongly emphasized, however, that the old-fash- 

 ioned way of combining baking soda with butter-milk in the 

 preparation of bread is a perfectly harmless procedure, provided 

 that sufficient butter-milk is added to neutralize fully the alka- 

 linity of the baking soda. The label of the brand of baking 

 soda in use in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, clearly 

 states that butter-milk or tartaric acid should be added in order 

 to obtain the best results. The prevalent use in that section of 

 the country of baking soda without butter-milk or tartaric acid 

 seems to be due to the lack of knowledge on the part of the 

 housewives, as well as to the fact that it is often very difficult 

 to obtain butter-milk. 



We do not mean to imply that the use of baking soda will 

 always lead to an injurious action on the health of persons eating 

 bread prepared by this method, although such bread is undoubt- 

 edly deficient in vitamines. However, when the other dietary 

 components, outside of corn bread, are also deficient in vitamines, 

 the consumption of corn bread made with baking soda accentu- 

 ates this dietary deficiency and may lead to an impairment of 

 health. The same statement holds true in the case of highly 

 milled cereals. 



A few words about the effect of food preservation on vitamines 

 may not be out of place here. Various methods have been in 

 use for this purpose. Simple drying at ordinary temperature of 

 such food as legumes, cereals, etc., has been in vogue for many 

 centuries. In the absence of moisture food decay does not take 

 place. Drying, however, seems to reduce the content of foods 

 in antiscorbutic vitamines. The antineuritic vitamine, on the 



4 One chicken of this series, however, developed after a very long time symp- 

 toms of paralysis which were relieved by the administration of vitamine. 



