THE ANTISCORBUTIC VITAMINE IN SOME ORIENTAL 

 FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 1 



By Hartley Embrey 

 Of the Union Medical College, Peking 



FIVE PLATES 



Less is known of the antiscorbutic vitamine than of the other 

 vitamines. It is soluble in water, and for that reason is often 

 called water-soluble C vitamine. It is also soluble in alcohol and 

 acetone. 



It is more unstable than the other vitamines and is destroyed 

 by heat— gradually above 50°C. and rapidly above 80°C.(D It 

 is also affected by catalysis. (2) For instance, if half of a given 

 quantity of raw milk be heated in a glass vessel and the other 

 half in a copper vessel for the same length of time— for thirty 

 minutes at 145°F._ the milk heated in the copper vessel will 

 have lost much more of the antiscorbutic vitamine than the 

 milk heated in the glass vessel. 



This vitamine is very unstable in the presence of alkalies and 

 is especially sensitive to oxidation. In fact, oxidation is ap- 

 parently the preeminent factor leading to the destruction of 

 water-soluble C vitamine. 



If a diet be given containing an insufficient amount of this 

 vitamine, scurvy develops. This disease can be cured by the 

 addition to the diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, which are rich 

 in the antiscorbutic vitamine. 



This paper discusses some research work that was undertaken 

 with the hope of extending our knowledge as to which tropical 

 fruits and foods are valuable as sources of supply of the anti- 

 scorbutic vitamine. 



None of the vitamines can be determined satisfactorily by 

 chemical means. Their presence can be detected and their rela- 1 

 tive quantities estimated by feeding experiments only. The 

 guinea pig is very susceptible to scurvy and, therefore, is the 

 best experimental animal for this purpose. Fed on a diet com- 



'From the laboratories of Union Medical College, Peking; and the 

 Bureau of Science, Manila, Philippine Islands. 



