ANNUAL REPORT, 1938 73 



limits, fully one half of the subjects in each group were significantly below what 

 has been considered an optimum value. The late winter excretion values were 

 somewhat higher on the average, apparently reflecting an interest in increased 

 use of orange juice and other foods rich in vitamin C. This work was reported in a 

 joint publication entitled: The Vitamin C Status of College Women as Deter- 

 mined by Urinary Excretion. Authors: Helen S. Mitchell, Oreana A. Merriam, 

 and Esther L. Batcheider. Jour. Home. Ec. 30:645, 1938. 



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

 induced Atherosclerosis in Rabbits. (H. S. Mitchell, M. Goldfaden, and G. 

 Hadro.) This research is bein^ sponsored by the Lang Fund. It has been suc- 

 cessfully demonstrated that gross pathological lesions of the aorta of rabbits 

 may be produced by feeding cholesterol. When the amount and time of cholesterol 

 feeding is so controlled as to produce moderate aortic lesions, kelp fed in the 

 ration along with the cholesterol may partially or completely protect litter-mate 

 rabbits against these pathologic changes, whereas potassium iodide fails to give 

 this protection. The cholesterol content of the blood of rabbits on these experi- 

 ments 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, with 

 Miss Hadro as assistant. W'ork completed by May 1938 was reported by Miss 

 Goldfaden in a Master's thesis, June, 1938. 



Nutritional Gizzard Lesions in Chicks. (William B. Esselen, Jr.) Gizzard 

 lesions in chicks appear to be caused by a deficiency of the "anti-gizzard-lesion 

 factor" in the diet. The gross pathology is characterized by lesions or eruptions 

 in the lining of the gizzard. Field observations in Massachusetts during the past 

 three years indicate that this condition is of economic importance to the poultry- 

 men of the State. Gizzard lesions have been observed in young chicks fed on 

 commercial chick rations which were thought to be nutritionally adequate. In 

 such cases the deficiency may date back to the parent stock, the eggs from which 

 the chicks were hatched being deficient in the "anti-gizzard-lesion factor." 



Investigations were conducted here to observe the development of gizzard 

 lesions in chicks on the gizzard lesion producing diets of Almquist and Stokstad 

 and of Bird, Kline, Elvehjem, and Hart. Studies were also made relative to the 

 ingredients necessary to make up a diet which will prevent gizzard lesions and the 

 ability of certain ingredients commonly used in chick rations to prevent and cure 

 the condition. 



The Massachusetts State College chick ration, which was used as a control 

 diet, gave practically complete protection against gizzard lesions. A study was 

 made of the individual components of this ration and of combinations of them, 

 in order to determine why it prevented gizzard lesions. It was found that a mix- 

 ture of 15 percent each of wheat middlings, wheat bran, and oat groats, and 4 

 percent of alfalfa leaf meal, added to the Almquist diet, was almost as efifective 

 as the Massachusetts State College ration in preventing gizzard lesions. Although 

 in this instance these amounts of the supplementary dietary ingredients effectively 

 controlled gizzard lesions, it must be realized that this may not always be true. 

 It is quite possible that these materials will vary in their content of the "anti- 

 gizzard-lesion factor" depending upon their source, storage conditions, and pre- 

 vious history. Also it is very probable that chicks from difTerent sources will 

 vary in their susceptibility to gizzard lesions. 



The experimental evidence obtained points to the fact that there is no correla- 

 tion between rate of chick growth and the severity of gizzard lesions. 



The curative studies showed that dried pork lung, alfalfa leaf meal, soybean 

 meal, oat groats, and wheat middlings were all effective, at least to some degree, 



