ANNUAL REPORT, 1937 73 



6. amount of water ingested. 



7. vitamin C administered orally or injected. 



8. deficiency or excess of vitamins Bj and B.,. 



9. ingestion of large doses of dinitrophenol. 



10. injection of lens antigen (from beef, sheep, guinea pig and rat). 



These results were published in abstract form in the Journal of Nutrition, 

 Volume 13, Supplement, page 18, 1937. 



The type and amount of protein in the ration does exert a definite influence 

 upon the rate and incidence of galactose cataract. Earlier work with protein 

 variations failed to show significant differences because the proportion of the 

 aggravating factor, galactose, was evidently too large. Subsequent work with 

 lower levels of galactose (15% and 25%) has demonstrated that deficient protein 

 (5%) markedly hastens cataract development and high levels of protein (45%) 

 inhibit cataractous changes. Six different proteins from widely varied sources 

 (casein, lactalbumin, beef, fish, egg albumin, and soy bean) are now being in- 

 vestigated and preliminary observations would indicate that the protective action 

 against cataract is not the same for all nor does it correlate with their growth- 

 promoting properties. 



The demonstrable loss of sulfur-containing compounds from cataractous 

 lenses suggested that the sulfur-containing amino acids might be crucial factors 

 in metabolic problems. Large doses of cystine (1, 2, and 3%) had but a slight 

 inhibitory effect and methionine is still under investigation. Preliminary findings 

 were reported in the Proceedings of the Society of Experimental Biology and Med- 

 icine, 36:806, 1937. 



2. The relation of ingested carbohydrate to the type and amount of blood and 

 urine sugar and to the incidence of cataract in rats. A summary of this work was 

 given in the 1936 Atmual Report but publication was in the Journal of Nutrition 

 13:501, 1937. 



A Study of the Nutrition of College Women with Respect to Vitamin C Re- 

 quirements. (H. S. Mitchell and O. A. Merriam.) This project, initiated in the 

 fall of 1936, is concerned with the vitamin C intake and excretion of groups of 

 students most of whom are eating at the college cafeteria. The women of the 

 classes of 1940 and 1941 have been experimental subjects during their freshmen 

 year. The data accumulated to date seem to indicate that many students are 

 borderline or below in their vitamin C intake as compared with generally accepted 

 standards. A possible correlation of these findings with other measures of health 

 or well-being is being investigated. The project will be continued for the balance 

 of the school year. 



The Relation of Iodine or other Minerals to the Prevention of Cholesterol- 

 induced Atherosclerosis in Rabbits. (H. S. Mitchell and M. Goldfaden.) This 

 research is being sponsored by the Lang Fund. It has been successfully demon- 

 strated that gross pathological lesions of the aorta may be produced by feeding 

 cholesterol to rabbits. When the amount and time of cholesterol feeding is so 

 controlled as to produce moderate aortic lesions, litter-mate rabbits fed kelp in the 

 nation along with the cholesterol may be partially or completely protected against 

 these pathological changes whereas potassium iodide fails to give this protection. 

 The cholesterol content of the blood of rabbits on these experiments indicates 

 that there is some correlation between the circulating cholesterol and aortic 

 lesions. Growth and general condition of the rabbits have continued satisfactory 

 throughout the experiments. This study is still in progress. 



