ACCESSORY FOOD BODIES 99 



Since the year 1896, when Vordermann put for- 

 ward the theory that beriberi occurred after the 

 long-continued use of milled rice that is, of rice 

 from which the outer layers of the grain had been 

 artificially removed a whole group of diseases has 

 come to be recognized under the common class name 

 of " deficiency diseases/' They comprise beriberi, 

 scurvy, and its congeners, pellagra, and possibly 

 rickets, tetany, osteomalacia, and sprue. Vorder- 

 mann's view was not long in receiving confirmation, 

 and the further fact was soon noted that persons 

 whose diet consisted of unmilled rice that is, of 

 rice which retained its outer layers were exempt 

 from the disease. The more exact method of 

 experiment was at once introduced to supplement 

 observation. Eykman, attempting to produce the 

 disease in fowls, fed some birds purely on polished 

 rice. They rapidly lost weight and developed 

 neuritis (polyneuritis gallinarum). Birds fed on 

 whole grain rice developed no such disease. The 

 outbreak of the disease was prevented by adding the 

 rice-polishings (the pericarp of the grain) to the diet, 

 and even when the disease was established it could 

 be cured by administering a water extract of the 

 rice-polishings. It had in fact been shown experi- 

 mentally how the disease could be brought on in 

 fowls, and also how it could be cured. 



Casimir Funk then attacked the problem chemic- 

 ally, and after a series of investigations he succeeded 

 in isolating a substance from the alcoholic extract of 

 rice-polishings, which appeared as colourless, needle- 

 shaped crystals, and was markedly valuable for 



