442 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIV. No. 1401 



experimental mdlk became blind. It died when it 

 was forty-two days old, showing nervous symptoms 

 very much like an animal with beri beri. The other 

 experimental calf became blind when seventy-eight 

 days old and died nineteen days later with symp- 

 toms like the first. A calf from a cow receiving 

 normal feed was placed on the experimental milk at 

 the time the first calf died. It did not become 

 bUnd but died at the end of nineteen weeks. The 

 two calves receiving the herd milk are still normal 

 after a period of eight weeks. 



The influence of excessive oxidation upon tlie 

 nutritive and antiscortutio properties of cow's 

 milk: E. Adams Dutcher and Clifton W. Ackee- 

 SON. Eight guinea pigs, used as controls, were fed 

 a diet of oats ad libitum and 30 c.c. (daily) of 

 fresh raw milk from the university dairy herd. Ten 

 guinea pigs were fed oats and milk powder (pre- 

 pared from the herd milk) . The milk powder was 

 diluted back to tie same composition as the origi- 

 nal raw milk and 30 e.c. were fed daily to each 

 animal. The milk powder was prepared at inter- 

 vals of 2 to 5 days by spraying the milk into a 

 blast of hot air in a cell four feet square. Each 

 quart of milk came in contact with approximately 

 1,400 cubic feet of hot air. The air in the cell was 

 kept at a temperature of 115° C. while the tem- 

 perature at the spray nozzle never exceeded 100° C. 

 The milk powder was allowed to remain on the floor 

 of the cell during the drying process (2-3 hours). 

 No attempt was made to approximate commercial 

 conditions. The entire group of guinea pigs receiv- 

 ing the milk powder died with pronounced scurvy 

 lesions in periods ranging from 16 days to 42 days. 

 At the end of 42 days all of the control animals, 

 which had consumed their daily ration of raw milk, 

 were living and in much better physical condition 

 than the group receiving the dried milk. 



The relation between the vitamine content of 

 feed and haichability of the eggs produced: J. 8. 

 Hughes, L. F. Payne, and P. E. Fox. 



A comparison of the yea.st and bacteria growth 

 promoting vitamines: Louis Freedman. It was 

 foimd experimentally that beef and beef -heart in- 

 fusion, peptone and autolyzed yeast contain sub- 

 etances which are equally active for growth of 

 hemolytic streptococci and yeast cells. This sub- 

 stance was found present io a limited extent, in 

 casein and other animal and vegetable proteins 

 which were specially prepared and purified. The 

 substance active for streptococci is of similar 

 nature if not identical with the yeast growth pro- 



moting vitamine present in autolyzed yeast. There 

 is also present in beef heart another substance, asso- 

 ciated with blood, which is necessary for growth of 

 streptococci. The nature of this has not yet been 

 determined. Further work on these problems is now 

 in progress. 



The vital proilem of vitami7ies — a plea for a 

 vitamine institute. Food products rich in vitamines : 

 B. Dass. Since the indication of the existence of 

 vitamines some twelve years ago, this subject has 

 been receiving increasing attention. The results of 

 many investigations have proved beyond doubt the 

 utmost importance of the presence of vitamines in 

 foods and also have established the relative vita- 

 mine content of the various articles of food. Now- 

 adays there are in the market quite a few food 

 products advertised to be rich in vitamines. The 

 necessity of such products can not be overestimated 

 provided they are truly rich in vitamines and at the 

 same time reasonably low in price so as to be avail- 

 able to the poorer classes of people who are, gener- 

 ally speaking, the victims of diets deficient in vita- 

 mine-content. 



Tlie distributor of vitamines in natural food- 

 stuffs: W. D. Richardson. 



Some experiments with the vitamines of auto- 

 lyzed brewer's yeast. Preliminary communication: 

 Harry E. Dubin and Casimir Funk. Pigeon and 

 rat experiments were conducted in order to test the 

 influence of vitamine B and the substance (called 

 provisionally " vitamine D ") promoting the 

 growth of yeast. The above vitamines were ob- 

 tained, one practically free from the other, from 

 autolyzed yeast by means of fractional shaking 

 with fuller 's earth. The results show clearly that 

 pigeons require vitamine B while rats require vita- 

 mine D for maintenance and growth. On vitamine 

 D alone, after one month, pigeons have not devel- 

 oped beriberi, although they have lost considerable 

 weight. On vitamine B alone, rats have consistently 

 lost weight and present a poor physical appearance. 

 Both pigeons and rats thrive best on a mixture of 

 vitamines B and D. 



Proof of the presence of lipase in milk and a 

 new method for the detection and estimation of the 

 enzyme: Frank E. Rice and Alton L. Markley. 

 (1) Lipases are defined as enzymes which split 

 natural fats. (2) Methods for determining lipase 

 are not satisfactory unless the fat-substrate is well 

 emulsified in the suspension medium, and imless a 

 preservative is used which prevents all bacterial 



