Diseases of the Nervous System 197 



worms are passed treat the patient for the removal of these 

 parasites (p. 139). 



The birds may live some time with occasional fits and may 

 recover. Cases caused by intestinal worms are definitely 

 cured by removing the parasites. 



Polyneuritis, or Beri-beri 



A nervous disease of fowls resembling human beri-beri is 

 known in India, the Philippine Islands and Europe. 



Diagnosis. — The chief symptom is a progressive paralysis 

 of the legs. The nerves supplying the affected parts are 

 greatly changed, often showing an almost complete disappear- 

 ance of nerve fibers. 



Etiology. — It has been known for several years that this 

 disease occurs when the diet of chicks or fowls is completely 

 or nearly completely confined to rice or other cereals from 

 which the outer coat has been removed. If the whole grain 

 is fed the disease does not occur. It has been shown that 

 this is a true deficiency disease caused by a diet which lacks 

 some substance which is essential for the normal metabolism 

 of nervous tissue. The addition of milk, meat, legumes, rice 

 polishings, or potatoes to a deficient diet prevents the disease. 

 During the last two years Funk ^ and others have studied the 

 nature of the substance or substances which must be added to 

 the deficient food. They have isolated from rice polishings 

 a crystalline alkaloid designated as Funk's base or vitamine. 

 According to Vedder and Williams ^ this " probably exists in 

 the food as a pyrimidin base combined as a constituent of 



^Funk, C, "Die Vitamine." Wiesbaden, 1914. 



^Vedder, E. B., and Williams, R. R., "Concerning the Beri-beri 

 Preventing Substances or Vitamins Contained in Rice PoIisMngs. 

 A Sixth Contribution to the Etiology of Beri-beri." Philippine 

 Jour. Sci., Sect. B., Vol. 8, pp. 175-195. 



