298 DIVERSIONS OF A NATURALIST 



The grain has lost its outer coat. It has been found 

 that domesticated birds (pigeons and fowls) fed on this 

 polished rice become ill with symptoms like those of 

 " Beri-beri," and even die. And it has been further 

 discovered that these same birds can be cured by mixing 

 some of the separated outer coat of sound rice grains 

 with the " polished rice." The result of this observation 

 on birds has been applied to human patients suffering 

 from " Beri-beri." It is found that they are rapidly 

 cured by giving them rice " outsides " to eat, and that 

 those who are feeding on " polished rice " can be pre- 

 vented from acquiring the disease " Beri-beri " by 

 mixing rice " outsides " with the polished rice. The 

 study of the subject has gone further. 

 * 



A crystallizable substance allied to proteids has been 

 separated by the chemist in quite minute quantity (one 

 part by weight in 10,000 parts of rice) from the outer 

 coat of rice grain, and is called "vitamine." It is this 

 substance which prevents the " whole " rice grain from 

 causing " Beri-beri " in men and birds who feed on it, 

 and it has been shown experimentally that it prevents 

 the development of " Beri-beri " when taken with 

 ( polished rice," and cures it when administered to man 

 or bird suffering from that disease. This case calls to 

 mind the popular notion that the indigestion caused by 

 eating a " peeled " raw cucumber can be prevented by 

 eating some of the dark-green " rind " or outside of the 

 cucumber. I do not know that anyone has ever shown 

 that this is a true doctrine, but it serves as an illustration 

 of what has been demonstrated in the case of rice grains 

 and " Beri-beri." Here, then, again we have, in the 

 case of rice, a minute quantity of a substance naturally 

 present in an article of food when taken in its natural 

 normal condition, which is destroyed and removed by 

 the ignorant manipulation of man, although necessary 



