74 THE VITAMINS 



known to contain vitamin B on the secretory activity of the pancreas, 

 liver, and sahvary glands of dogs. Not only were these preparations 

 without effect, but the intestinal mucosae from polyneuritic dogs were 

 shown to contain secretin. Moreover, Cowgill (1923a), by demonstrat- 

 ing that convulsions in dogs on vitamin B-free rations could be relieved 

 by intravenous and intraperitoneal injections of a vitamin B concen- 

 trate free from protein, showed that substances containing vitamin B 

 do not require action upon them by the enzymes contained in the various 

 digestive juices before the vitamin can be effective. 



Relation to Motor Functions. — A possible clue to the apparent dis- 

 crepancy in findings concerning the relationship between vitamin B 

 and digestive secretions may be found in the gastric and intestinal atony 

 noted in vitamin B deficiency by various workers. McCarrison men- 

 tioned impairment of the neuromuscular control of the bowels, im- 

 paired transport of the intestinal contents along the alimentary canal, 

 and impairment of excretory functions as among the important effects 

 of lack of vitamin B in pigeons and monkeys. 



Gross (1923, 1924), repeating and extending some of McCarrison's 

 observations, but with rats on diets designed to be deficient in only one 

 vitamin at a time, confirmed his suggestion of impairment of the motor 

 function of the intestinal tract in vitamin B deficiency, and expressed 

 the opinion that vitamin B deficiency probably plays an important part 

 in the intestinal stasis often encountered in everyday life. 



A demonstration of gastric atony in extreme vitamin B deficiency 

 was reported by Cowgill, Deuel, Plummer, and Messer (1926). Four 

 dogs having permanent gastric fistulas were fed basal diets free from, 

 or extremely low in, vitamin B but adequate in other respects. From 

 time to time the motility of the empty stomach was recorded by means 

 of an inflated rubber balloon placed in the stomach and connected with 

 a chloroform manometer and recording device. When the animals had 

 lost their desire to eat, beef juice was administered but with no effect 

 upon the appetite. A vitamin B preparation was then administered with 

 prompt restoration of the appetite. The tracings of the hunger con- 

 tractions showed no remarkable changes in character in the early stages 

 of the vitamin B deficiency but almost complete atony in later periods. 

 The administration of vitamin B was followed by rapid improvement 

 in the stomach musculature as shown by the regularity of muscle con- 

 traction. 



In discussing the possible relationship between failure of appetite 

 and gastric atony, Cowgill and his coworkers expressed the opinion 

 that "it is difficult, when dealing with such a parallelism as has been 



