1915] Casimir Funk 333 



lar to human pellagra. The Symptoms disappeared in three weeks, 

 when the chickens were fed on whole corn. In four cases of Pel- 

 lagra in man the same author saw good results on a diet of corn- 

 meal to which bran had been added. The work o£ Driscoll requires 

 confirmation, before his conclusions can be accepted; but the prob- 

 lem of the influenae of the mode of milling of maize on the incidence 

 and severity of the Symptoms can not be disregarded, especially in 

 view of the observations of Macaulay and Darling on the occur- 

 rence of scurvy on overmilled maize. 



Analyses of various samples of maize have been made by Juritz 

 (86) and MacCrae {^7), the latter having determined especially the 

 phosphorus-content in maize milled to different degrees, and con- 

 firmed fully my results. Poppe (88), who described the diet of the 

 working class in Belgian Congo (i k. of maize meal, 1.4 k. of corn, 

 0.14 k. of meat and 14 gm. of salt, daily), stated that the water 

 from cooked maize should not be thrown away, for 36.2 percent of 

 the nutritive ingredients would thus be rejected (89). 



Weiss (90) found that pellagra is prevalent, in Tyrol, in dis- 

 tricts where fine maize, without the husk, is used as food. Night- 

 ingale (91) gives a similar account but of much greater value, as 

 his conclusions are based on 12 10 cases. He described the diet in 

 Southern Rhodesia, where mealie meal is passed through a sieve 

 that retains the husk. The husk proved to be an excellent food for 

 cows, increasing greatly the yield of milk. This maize preparation 

 caused a disease he called zeism, which is nothing but pellagra of a 

 mild type. On the other hand, the hand-milled maize (rapoko) 

 proved to be preventive and curative. Cod-liver oil was also of 

 great value, in his hands, for the treatment of pellagra. 



In summarizing the results obtained and the views expressed by 

 various authors, it seems to me that we already possess all the 

 knowledge necessary success fully to combat pellagra. 



VI. SPRUE 



Our knowledge of sprue advances with our knowledge of pel- 

 lagra. This disease occurs less frequently than pellagra, however, 

 and less work has been published on the subject. The disease 

 results directly from deficient diets. Cantlie (92), who has done 



