ETIOLOGY OF BERIBERI. 277 



only 41 cases, in 1886 only 3. By the beg-inning of 1891, under 

 the improved diet, beriberi was entirely eradicated and the in- 

 cidence of other diseases greatly decreased. Other hygienic 

 measures were also introduced into the navy during these years. 



Vorderman,*- in a study based on Eijkman's researches ob- 

 served that fully hulled and incompletely hulled rice as a food in- 

 fluenced the occurrence of beriberi among the prisoners in the 

 Dutch East Indies in quite a different way. He states that of 

 96,530 prisoners who were fed chiefly with incompletely hulled 

 rice (that is, in which not more than 25 per cent of the pericarp 

 was removed from the grain) only 9, that is 0.009 per cent, 

 sickened with beriberi, while of 150,226 prisoners fed chiefly 

 with fully hulled rice (that is, in which only 25 per cent of 

 the pericarp remained with the grain) 420, that is 2.079 per 

 cent, suffered from beriberi. The conclusion reached was that 

 a connection existed between the prevalence of beriberi and 

 the consumption of hulled rice. 



In the year 1901 Roelfsema" observed an epidemic of beriberi 

 among the coolies at the coaling station at Sabang, Sumatra. 

 He could not observe any amelioration in the condition of the 

 patients when he gave them meat and other extra articles of 

 food, but he did observe that the epidemic ended as soon as he 

 prescribed katjaiig idjo. 



Hulshoff-Pol " repeated these experiments in the Insane Asylum at 

 Buitenzorg. During the period from August 1 to April 30, 1902, the 

 patients from 12 pavilions in the asylum received the following in addi- 

 tion to the ordinary diet: In 3 pavilions, 150 grams of katjang idjo; 

 in 3 pavilions, 300 grams of fresh greens; and in 6 pavilions, ordinary 

 diet. The pavilions were disinfected once a week with carbolic soap, 3 

 per cent, in order to kill any insects which might be of importance 

 in the dissemination of beriberi. The following results were obtained: 

 Among 70 insane who ate katjang idjo, none developed beriberi; among the 

 86 who were given fresh greens, 16 cases; and among the 78 who lived in 

 the disinfected pavilions, 33 contracted the disease. There were 58 control 

 patients of whom 19 contracted beriberi. 



Kiewiet de Jonge^' repeated Hulshoff-Pol's experiments on 

 384 patients in the Insane Asylum at Buitenzorg. Katjang idjo 

 was given to 182 of these, but not to the remaining 202. The 

 results were as follows: 



•* Cited by Schaumann, Beihefte z. Arch. f. Schiffs- u. Trop.-Hyg. (1910), 

 14, 344. See also, Eijkman, Arch. f. Schiffs- u. Trop.-Hyg. (1911), 15, 699. 

 "Quoted by de Haan, This Journal, Sec. B (1910), 5, 69. 

 " Cited by de Haan, loc. cit. 

 ** Genees. Tyds. v. Ned. Ind. (1909), 49. 



