174 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



[Vol. 40 



A note on the u man value " of working class diets. Greenwood and Cecily 

 M. Thompson (Brit. Med. Jour.. No. 3006 (WIS), p. 133).— The following new 

 coefficients have heen adopted by the Inter-allied Food Commission for use in 

 estimating the man value of a family diet: From to 5 years 0.5 man value, 

 from G to 10 years 0.7, 11 years and over — males 1, females 0.S3, and all chil- 

 dren of combined ages 0.68. 



A preliminary report on the preparation of antipolyneuritic substances 

 from carrots and yeast, K. Sugiuea (Jour. Biol. Chun.. 36 (191S). No. 1. pp. 

 191-196; abs. in Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc, 11 (1918), No. ."'. p. 1694).— Water 

 and alcoholic extracts of carrots were prepared by grinding 700 gm. of fresh 

 carrots finely in a meat chopper and treating with either 1 liter of distilled 

 water for two days at room temperature or with 1 liter of 95 per cent alcohol 

 for five days. In either case the mixture was filtered through a hardened 

 paper in a Btichner funnel, washed with fresh solvent, and the clear golden- 

 yellow filtrate concentrated in vacuo at a low temperature until it became a 

 sirupy mass. 



The chemical nature and yield of the substances varied somewhat with the 

 time and temperature at which extractions were made and with the concen- 

 tration and variety of carrots. The yields were about 7 per cent of the original 

 fresh carrots. Analyses of the two extracts gave the following results: 



Analyses of water and alcoholic extracts of carrots. 



Kind ot extraction. 



Water.. 



Alcohol . 



Total 

 nitrogen. 



Per crnt. 

 1.51 



. II 



Total 



Per cent. 



-,. M 

 3.17 





«"». 



Pa cent. 



0.91 



.21 



Amino 

 nitrogen. 



Per cent. 



1.09 



.31 



Uric 



acid 



Per cent. 



0.17 



.02 



Phenol. 



Per tent. 



0.55 



.56 



A colorless crystalline substance was prepared from yeast as follows: Brewers' 



yeast was tillered, pressed, and dried to B powder. Ten gm. of tins powder, the 

 nitrogen content of which was 9.59 per cent, was treated with 100 cc. of distilled 

 water, shaken, placed in B 300 CC. collodion bag, and suspended for air dialysis 

 at renin temperature until perfectly dry. By this means ahem 5 mg. of a colorless 

 crystalline BUbstance formed on the outer wall ef the hag. A similar snlxtance 

 was also obtained by treating 10 gm. of powdered yeast with loo cc. of 5 per 

 cent sodium chlorid solution and subjecting the mixture to air dialysis as before. 



The experimental results of the use of these substances indicate that the 

 extracts of fresh carrots and crystalline substances from yeast preparations may 

 cure polyneuritis in pigeons in those cases in which the disease has developed 

 quickly; that is, in about 20 days. If the symptoms had appeared more slowly, 

 the substances did not effed a cure. 



Monthly metabolism of nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium in healthy 

 women. II. C. SHERMAN, L. EL Ciii.ett, and II. M. Tope (Jour. Biol. Chan.. 8$ 

 (1918). No. .'. pp. S7SS81; abs. in Physiol Abs., S 1 1918), No. i-5, pp. 857, 158).— 

 The calcium and phosphorus requirement in normal nutrition was determined 

 by metabolism experiments on two healthy women during 10 successive thr< 

 day periods in which the subjects lived upon prearranged diets absolutely uniform 

 from day to day. The «iifts were so arranged as to satisfy the requirements for 

 energy and protein, while sufficiently low in phosphorus and calcium to tesl the 

 ability of the body to establish equilibrium of these elements, a quantitative 

 determination of the intake and output of nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium was 

 made at the end of each period. 



