KARL FOLKERS 



few observations, facts, and results which may have unique interest 

 have been selected for comment. 



On the Discovery of Vitamins 



The discovery of the "major vitamins"* has been based upon 

 observations which related the syndrome of a human disease to con- 

 stituents of natural materials used in nutrition. The discovery of the 

 "lesser vitamins"* has been based upon observations which related 

 biological reactions generally produced experimentally with animals 

 or microorganisms to constituents of natural materials. Although the 

 "lesser vitamins" are at present not known to correspond to any histori- 

 cally recognized human disease, they probably are essential for the 

 human being. They may be considered "lesser vitamins" today be- 

 cause their absence in human diets is less frequent statistically or because 

 the signs of their absence are not yet fully recognized, as was the case 

 for riboflavin deficiency until 1938, when Sebrell and Butler (43) 

 characterized ariboflavinosis. Oden, Oden, and Sebrell (37) con- 

 cluded a little later that ariboflavinosis is "a common dietary-deficiency 

 disease in the southern United States." 



It seems not unlikely that certain of the "lesser vitamins" will 

 ascend to the class of "major vitamins" after further clinical research. 

 Some of this future clinical research might lie in the borderline fields 

 between biochemistry and psychology, according to R. J. Williams 

 (63). His observations on "personality diff"erences" among animals 

 in nutrition experiments, and the fact that hallucinations and mental 

 symptoms of pellagra are known to be eliminated by administration 

 of nicotinic acid, helped stimulate this interesting thought. Certainly, 

 if other vitamins were found to benefit mental disease or psychological 

 disturbances, the rank of importance of these vitamins would be 

 elevated. R. R. Williams (69) believed it was probable that any 



* R. R. Williams, in his stimulating address on the occasion of the presenta- 

 tion of the Chandler Medal in 1942, defined the "major vitamins" as thiamin, 

 riboflavin, nicotinic acid, and vitamins A, D, and C. Five of these vitamins are 

 related to ancient and widespread diseases. Ariboflavinosis, which is cured by 

 riboflavin, had been confused with and masked by pellagra and was not recognized 

 per se until recently. The "lesser vitamins" include choline, vitamin Be, pantothenic 

 acid, biotin, inositol, etc. See reference (69). 



90 



