SCURVY 71 



are among the very earliest results of a deficiency 

 of the antiscorbutic principle, and these may occur 

 (in guinea-pigs) while the animal is still growing 

 well and is apparently in good health. Whether 

 such effects are also produced in young children, 

 and whether an early deficiency affects deleteriously 

 the subsequent development of the permanent teeth, 

 are questions which have not yet been answered. 



The antiscorbutic usually given to young 

 children is some kind of fruit- juice, but it is well 

 to remember that fruit- juices differ very consider- 

 ably in potency, that of the orange being greatly 

 superior, for example, to apple-juice or grape- 

 juice.^ The juice of raw swedes is also of great 

 value in this respect, and can be readily and 

 cheaply prepared. 



For use as remedies in cases of pronounced in- 

 fantile scurvy orange- juice, grape- juice, and "potato- 

 cream " (i.e, powdered cooked potato beaten up 

 with milk) are all used. An additional and effective 

 remedy is afforded by the lemon- juice deprived of 

 free citric acid, to which reference has been already 

 made (p. 69). Obtained from a material which has 

 a very high potency, this preparation has the great 

 advantage over others that, owing to its freedom 

 from acid and to the small amount of extraneous 

 matter present, it is tolerated in very large quan- 

 tities by ailing children and does not cause any 



* See Chick and Rhodes, Lancet, 1918, Dec. 7. 



