ETIOLOGY OF BERIBERI. 275 



in working- out the etiology of beriberi; the reaction in fowls is quite as 

 delicate as, and comparable with, a reaction in vitro, but there is no necessity 

 whatsoever to argue for or against the identity of polyneuritis in fowls and 

 beriberi in man. 



On the other hand, Chamberlain and Vedder -^ and Tsuzuki -^ 

 believe that polyneuritis gallinarum and beriberi are essentially 

 the same disease. Obviously, however, this latter view seems 

 hardly justifiable until confirmed by further experiments on 

 human beings. 



We believe that, while experiments on fowls have been of very 

 great benefit in elucidating many problems relating to the etiol- 

 ogy and cure of beriberi, nevertheless, without similar experi- 

 ments or observations on man, the results obtained with the 

 former would not be applicable to man. The experiments on 

 fowls have certainly in some instances furnished a justification 

 for adopting a similar method of procedure in man in relation to 

 the study and care of beriberi, and therein perhaps lies their 

 greatest value. The results of the experiments on other animals, 

 including monkeys (Eijkman,-^ Fraser and Stanton,^*^ Schau- 

 mann,^' Aron,^- Shiga and Kusama,^^ Wright,^* Durham,^'^ and 

 others) , have been hitherto too uncertain to warrant our drawing 

 conclusions from them in relation to beriberi in man. Monkeys 

 as well as fowls sometimes suffer with polyneuritis from various 

 causes. 



Since, before we can arrive at a definite decision as to the in- 

 fectious or noninfectious nature of the disease beriberi, we must 

 have observations upon man in relation to this question, let us 

 consider the previous literature upon the subject with the idea of 

 ascertaining what experimental evidence there previously has 

 been presented in which a reasonable supposition for a cause of 

 the disease exists and in which the action of a specific organism 

 conveyed directly or indirectly from man to man as the etio- 

 logical factor has been rigidly excluded. . 



" This Journal, Sec. B (1911), 6, 395. 



^* Bull. Soc. path, exotique (1911), 4, 588. 



'*Virchotv's Arch. (1897), 148, 523. 



'" Studies from Institute for Medical Research. Federated Malay States 

 (1911), No. 12, 28. 



" Beihefte z. Arch. f. Schiffs- u. Trop.-Hyg. (1910), 14, 544. • 



" This Journal, Sec. B (1910), 5, 95. 



** Beihefte z. Arch. f. Schiffs- u. Trop.-Hyg. (1911), 15, 67. 



•* Studies from Institute for Medical Research. Federated Malay States 

 (1902), 2, No. 2, 63. 



"Joum. Hyg. (1904), 4, 129. 



