DISTiaJiUTIO-V Ol- V1TA:M1.V£S IX I'LAXTS. 12") 



which soda has been added. In the latter case there is probably 

 little, if any, anti-scorbutic value left. 



(b) Fritit.'i. — Various fruit juices have been quantitatively 

 tested, and of these oranges and lemon?^ are by far the best. A 

 young g-uinea-pig" receives a perfect diet if given oats, bran, 

 superheated milk ad Uhitiim, and orang-e juice to the small 

 extent of I'd c.c. daily. On this diet a reduction of the orang-e- 

 juice ration to 0'75 c.c. daily causes the onset of scurvy, and 

 the minimum protective value of the juice may- therefore be 

 taken as about 1 c.c. daily. Lemon juice (Citrus viedica var. 

 acida) g'ives a similar result ; but with lime juice (Citnts medica 

 var. liinoniiin) a ration of 10 c.c. (a higher ration could hardly 

 be tolerated) is scarcely sufficient to protect from scurvy. This 

 result has been obtained with many different samples of lime 

 juice, both freshly squeezed and preserved in different ways. 

 A number of confirmatory exjDeriments were carried out at 

 the Lister Listitute by Miss E. M. Hume on monkeys which 

 had been previously- kept for some weeks in the laboratory 

 in perfect health on a normal diet. During the experimental 

 l^eriod a similar diet was given, l)ut the only anti-scorbutic 

 which was supplied was a measured ration of lime or lemon 

 juice prepared and administered in the same way. In each 

 case a much larger ration of lime juice was needed to give 

 protection frcmi scurvy. In one case the lime-juice ration of 

 an animal which developed severe scurvy on a ration of 5 c.c. 

 of the juice daily was, when nearly at the point of death, 

 changed to 5 c.c. lemon juice of the same age as the lime 

 juice. The effect was almost immediate in reducing the 

 severity of the symptoms, whilst in the course of two or 

 three weeks the animal was completely cured. This case of 

 contrast between the effect of lime and lemon juice is the 

 more striking since there is practically no differeiice in the 

 chemical composition of the two juices. 



Amongst other fruit juices, raspberry and tomato juices 

 may^ be mentioned as giving good protective results. 

 A variety of dried fruits have also been tested, and these 

 retain their anti-scorbutic properties to a slight extent. 



(c) Gevminating Seeds.' — In 1912 a Swedish investigator, 

 Hoist, proved that whilst dry seeds of various kinds have 

 practically no anti-scorbutic value, when germinated for one 

 to three days they possess considerable value in this respect. 

 These results have been confirmed and extended in more 

 recent experiments at the Lister Institute. The seeds of 

 peas and lentils were soaked at laboratory temperatures for 

 about twelve hours, and placed in a funnel to germinate 

 covered with damp cotton wool. In two days (at about 

 60° F.) the radicles had grown to about 1 cm. in length, ami 

 in this condition they were used as the sole source of anti- 

 scorbutic in the diet of experimental animals. In the case of 

 young guinea-pigs, a daily ration of 2'5 gms. of these 

 germinated peas or lentils was found to give adequate pro-' 

 tection from scurvy. This may be compared with the cor- 

 responding ration of 1 to 15 gms. of fresh green cabbage leaf. 



