142 CHAMBERLAIN. 



and to increase the amount of meat, beans (mongos) and other com- 

 ponents used. The harmful influences attributed to polished rice are 

 believed by us to be due not to the presence of any injurious element 

 in such rice, but simply to the absence from it of some substance neces- 

 sary for proper nutrition. Hence, it becomes evident that a diminution 

 of the quantity of rice consumed and a substitution therefor of suitable 

 articles of food might produce the same results as would be obtained 

 from the use of an undiminished quantity of rice in which the necessary 

 nutritive substance was present in proper amounts. Therefore, favor- 

 able results following the carrying out of our recommendations would by 

 no means be in opposition to the polished-rice theory of beriberi even 

 when the good results appeared before the undermilled rice went into use. 



UNDERMILLED EICE NOT THE CAUSE OF DECREASE IN BEEIBEEI ADMISSIONS. 



It is obvious on examining Tables III, V, and VI that xmdermilUd 

 rice could have had nothing to do with the great decrease in beriberi 

 admissions which occurred prior to August 1, 1910, and it probably could 

 have had nothing to do with the low rate in August. Undermilled rice 

 may have contributed a share to the continuance of the good results in 

 September, October, November and December. 



INFLUENCE OF MONGOS, CAMOTES, AND GINGER EOOT ON DECREASE OF BERIBERI. 



A study of Tables III, V, and VI (together with the remarks above 

 Table III) will show that the marked decrease in the beriberi rate for 

 April and May and probably for June could not have been due to the 

 mongos, camotes, and ginger root added to the ration by General Orders, 

 No. 24. At this writing there are no figures to show how extensively 

 mongos and camotes were used as a result of the division commander's 

 letter of November 3, 1909 ; so that a beneficial influence from mongos 

 and camotes prior to May, 1910, can not be excluded. For reasons which 

 will not be entered into here the Board does not consider that there is 

 any special virtue in mongos and camotes as compared with beans and 

 Irish potatoes which would enable them to prevent beriberi. There is 

 little doubt that the mongo is a good beriberi-preventing vegetable, 

 but it is not any better than the bean recommended by this Board on 

 September 30, 1910. We dp not consider either camotes or potatoes 

 of much value in preventing the disease. The influence of ginger root 

 can be eliminated because of its date of issue as well as for other reasons. 



THE REAL CAUSE OF THE ERADICATION OF BERIBERI FROM THE SCOUTS. 



From the above discussion the Board concludes that the important 

 beriberi preventing factor in the new Filipino ration prescribed by Gen- 

 eral Orders, No. 24, was neither mongo, nor camote, nor ginger root, nor 

 undermilled rice, per se, but was the reduction in the quantity of rice 

 consumed and the substitution, in lieu of the rice taken av)a/ij, of a 



