146 THE VITAMINS 



period following weaning; somewhat larger size at all ages; earlier 

 maturity as shown by age of female at birth of her first young; longer 

 duration of the reproductive life, old age being deferred in the same 

 individuals in which earlier maturity had been induced ; greater success 

 in rearing young, as shown by increase both in numbers and in per- 

 centage of young reared, and by decrease in percentage of females 

 failing to bear and rear young ; better growth of young during the 

 suckHng period as shown by larger average weight at the uniform 

 weaning age adopted. 



Whalen (unpublished data) has studied the effects upon growth, 

 reproduction and lactation of food mixtures containing graded amounts 

 of vitamin G. Her results confirm those of Sherman and Campbell in 

 indicating that the amount of vitamin G in the diet, particularly during 

 early life, affects the rate of growth, and influences body vigor at all 

 ages. Liberal intake of vitamin G was found to bear an important 

 relation to lactation and to the growth and development of the suckHng 

 young. An abundance of vitamin G favored early maturity, indicating 

 excellence of general nutritive condition. 



The significant improvement in longevity found by Sherman and 

 Campbell (1928, 1930) resulting from improving a diet already ade- 

 quate by increasing the proportion of milk in the ration, is probably 

 due in part to the higher content of vitamin G as well as of vitamin A 

 and calcium in the better diet. 



The amount of vitamin G stored by the young is influenced by the 

 vitamin G content of the diet of the mother. This is indicated by the 

 length of survival and the time of onset and severity of symptoms of 

 G-avitaminosis when the young drawn from families of different nutri- 

 tional histories are placed on a vitamin G deficient diet (Whalen, unpub- 

 lished data). 



A study of the distribution of vitamin G in the various tissues of 

 the body was made by Carlsson (1929). Liver and kidney tissue of 

 adult animals subsisting on a food mixture consisting largely of one- 

 third whole milk powder and two-thirds ground whole wheat, appeared 

 to be about equally rich in vitamin G and both about ten times as rich 

 in vitamin G as muscle. Cardiac muscle was five times, brain tissue 

 two and one-half times, spleen about three times and blood one-third 

 as rich as voluntary muscle. She further found that the vitamin G 

 content of the tissues may be measurably influenced by the abundance 

 or paucity of this vitamin in the food. Vitamin G does not appear to 

 be especially stored in the Hver to such a conspicuous degree as is 

 vitamin A, for in animals equally well nourished the liver is only about 



