318 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. (June, 1911. 
ing or bran which amounts to 8 to10 per cent. of rice is 
called ‘‘Koorah’’ in Bengal, ‘‘Thavudu’’ in Madras, and 
‘‘Dadak”’ in Java. It is used for feeding fowls and cattle, 
as bait for fish, and is largely exported to the continent on 
account of the oil it contains. The analysis of a sample from a 
Calcutta mill is appended. 
Moisture 8°30 
24°04 
Proteids cs ae OO 
Carbohydrates .. 33°47 
Fibre io 6°88 
Ash fe 7 dae ae 
100-00 
Containing 
Nitrogen cp 2°17 
Phosphoric anhydride 3°36 
Silica ae 7°50 
investigations, but Sozuki, Yoshimura and Takaishi have 
proved (Bull. Coll. Agric. Tokyo, 1907, 495—572) that 85 per 
cent. of the phosphorus in the bran of rice is present as phytin. 
Phytin has been described by Posternak (Compt. rend., 1903, 
136, 1678—80) as a phospho-organic acid, CH,O,P, which 
differs from phosphoric acid by the elements of formaldehyde. 
Lecithin, another organic compound found in seeds by Tépler, 
Schulze and others, occurs in smaller amount, representing only 
1 to 7 per cent. of the total phosphorus. Phytin or anhydroxy- 
methylene-diphosphoric acid is obtained by treating the pow- 
dered substance with 0-2 or 0°3 per cent. hydrochloric acid, 
pressing out the liquor, neutralizing with magnesia, and puri- 
ng by reprecipitation the calcio-magnesium derivative. 
Another method is to precipitate the acid solution by means of 
alcohol. Fraser. and Stanton (Lancet, Dec. 17, 1910, 1755) 
have recently shown that the addition of rice polishings to a 
diet of white rice is an effective preventive of the development 
of polyneuritis in fowls. Working in the light of what is known 
on phytin, they further prove that the substances contained 
in the polishing which are effective in preventing the disease 
are not precipitated from the hydrochloric acid solution on the 
addition of the alcohol, but are retained in the filtrate from 
the phytin. The essential portion comprises 16 per cent. or 
less by weight of rice polishings, or 1:6 per cent. of the original 
shed grain. 
