POODS — HUMAN NUTKITION. 367 



were conducted by the authors for the purpose of determining the Influence on 

 metabolism of ingesting an exclusive oat diet. The animals receiving a pure 

 oat diet lost weight steadily and finally became emaciated and anemic. The 

 addition of dicalcium phosphate or sodium chlorid did not improve this con- 

 dition, but when calcium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate were added to the 

 diet the rabbits gained in weight and ate a constant or increasing amount of 

 the oat ration. The conclusion is drawn that acid poisoning is the cause of 

 the harmful action — that tlie oat diet does not supply sufficient basic mineral 

 matter to neutralize the acids formed in the process of digesting the oats. 



Experimental treatment of human beri-beri with constituents of rice 

 poUshings, R. R. Williams and N. M. Saleeby (PhilUpine Jour. Sci., Sect. A, 

 10 (1915), No. 2, pp. 99-118, jjIs. 2).— Clinical observations are reported of 27 

 cases of human beri-beri, some of which were treated with allantoin, others 

 with hydrolyzed extract of rice polishings, and the rest with unhydrolized 

 extract. The authors' conclusions follow : 



"Allantoin has a beneficial effect in certain cases of beri-beri, although prob- 

 ably never amounting to a complete cure. Its value should be tested further. 



" Hydrolyzed extract of rice polishings has benefited all the types of beri- 

 beri upon which it has been tried. It can be of practical service, but should bo 

 used only in cases under the direct supervision of physicians and nurses. 

 Unhydrolyzed extract of rice polishings is a safe and valuable remedy for 

 infantile beri-beri, but is of little use for older cases. 



"The vitamin of rice polishings possesses specific and prompt curative prop- 

 erties far beyond those of any other known substance. Unfortunately, its cost 

 at present prohibits its general use among the poorer classes, who are the chief 

 sufferers from beri-beri. 



"As a whole, the observations . . . are in accord with the broad proposition 

 that the disease, in a pi'actical sense at least, results primarily from a poor 

 diet, deficient more particularly in specific substances of the nature of Funk's 

 vitamin." 



The nature of the dietary deficiencies of rice, E. V. McCollum and 

 Maeguekite Davis (Jour. Biol. Chetn., 23 {1915), No. 1, pp. lSl-230, figs. 1,2). — 

 In extension of earlier work (E. S. R., 33, pp. 367, 465) the authors conducted 

 a series of feeding experiments with laboratory animals (rats) to study the 

 food properties of polished and unpolished rice, as well as the supplementary 

 relationship between rice and certain naturally occurring food substances. 

 The methods of preparation of the extracts employed in the experiments are 

 described, and curves are given showing the gi'owth of the rats in each 

 experiment. The results of the work, which are reported in detail, may be 

 summarized briefly as follows : 



These experiments show that " there are necessary for normal nutrition 

 during growth two classes of unknown accessory substances, one soluble in 

 fats and accompanying these in the process of isolation of fats from certain 

 foodstuffs, and the other soluble in water, but apparently not in fats." This 

 water-soluble accessory is also soluble in alcohol. 



It is also evident that " purified proteins, fats having the growth-promoting 

 property, and salt mixtures of appropriate composition, can not adequately 

 supplement polished rice so as to produce a diet which will support growth. 

 . . . Unpolished rice is so supplemented by additions of purified foodstuffs as 

 to make a food mixture which supports normal growth. . . . The inorganic 

 content of polished rice has been closely imitated by suitable additions of 

 salts and free mineral acids in a ration derived from milk powder and dextrin 

 and in one from desiccated egg and a dextrin, without causing any loss of 

 growth-promoting power of the food mixture. 



