COMPOSITION OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS 71 



The vitamines. Within the past few years a new sub- 

 stance known as vitamines has received much attention from 

 students of nutrition. Attention was first directed to this 

 nutrient when it was shown that a disease of humans known 

 as beriberi, caused by eating rice from which the husk had 

 been removed, would not occur if the unpolished rice were 

 eaten instead. Here was a new substance of nutrition. It 

 was given the name of vitamine by Casimir Funk, who first 

 investigated the subject. Other able scientists in America 

 and Europe engaged in similar study, and it was finally 

 agreed that there are three forms of vitamines, as follows: 



(1) Water-soluble vitamines, widely distributed in vege- 

 table foods, in germs of seeds, in vegetables and fresh fruits, 

 but which seem to be quite lacking in polished rice, patent 

 flour, and bolted corn meal; 



Figure 19. The effect of vitamines upon growth. The rat on the left was 

 fed five per cent cottonseed oil, the one on the right one and one-half per 

 cent of butter fat. Experiments by Dr. McCollum and others seem to 

 show conclusively that there is no fat of plant origin that wilHake the place 

 of butterfat in nutrition. Photograph from Wisconsin Experiment Station. 



(2) Fat-soluble vitamines, found most abundant in milk, 

 butter, egg yolk, germs of seeds, leafy vegetables and cod- 

 liver oil, but lacking in the body fat or muscles of animals, 

 and in vegetable oils; and 



(3) Anti-scorbutic vitamines, that constituent of food 

 which prevents the disease known as scurvy, especially found 

 in oranges, lemons, potatoes and fresh fruits and vegetables. 

 Cooking injures the vitamine value of this class of food. 



