VITAMINS, A LONG-KNOWN NEED 



97 



Vi-tctmin'E 





VitamiTtG 







contain certain sub- 

 stances known as 

 vitamins. Little is 

 known of the physi- 

 cal and chemical 

 properties of vita- 

 mins, although a 

 great deal of re- 

 search is being done 

 in this field of nu- 

 trition. The amount 

 of vitamins in food 

 has not yet been 

 measured in definite units, but is expressed by relative terms such 

 as abundant, rich, fair, poor, and deficient. 



Vitamins, a long-known need. Writings of the ancient Greeks 

 show that scurvy, now attributed to a diet deficiency, was then 

 known, but not understood. The person suffering from this disease 

 loses weight, is anaemic, pale, and weak. During the Middle Ages, 

 the records of the Crusaders show that this disease occurred fre- 

 quently. The Crusaders attributed it to something injurious in 

 the diet rather than to the lack of some requirement. Indeed, 

 armies of nearly all countries have suffered from scurvy during 

 wars. It has appeared whenever extended campaigning or other 

 conditions have limited the opportunity to get fresh and varied 

 foods. 



At one time it was impossible to s\ipply sailors on long voyages 

 with fresh foods. Captain Cook, the English explorer and trader, 

 was one of the first to recognize the value of fresh food as a protec- 

 tion against scurvy. His extended voyage, which was begun in 

 1772, was much discussed because no scurvy appeared among the 

 crew. This was true even though the voyage lasted over three 

 years and covered vast stretches of the South Pacific and South 



