11 



CHAMBERLAIN, BLOOMBERGH, KILBOURNE. 



few of our fowls have voluntarily eaten freely of this rice and these have been 

 able, by so doing, to maintain their body weight and defer or altogether prevent 

 the development of multiple neuritis. 



Number 27 weighed 1,098 gTams at the beginning of the experiment and after 

 125 days weighed 998 grams. A loss of about 15 per cent occurred in the 34 

 days during Avhich he received phosphoric acid with his rice, and a steady gain 

 took place after the substitution of the solution of potassium chloride; whether 

 or not merely coincidental we are unable to say. 



The average time to neuritis of the fowls of all the groups receiving 

 phosphoric acid was 25.3 daA's as compared with 29.8 da3?s, the corre- 

 sponding time for those on polished rice alone, and similarly the fowls 

 on phosphoric acid died in an average time of 30.2 daj's as against 34.7 

 days when fed polished rice alone. 



Food. 



Polished rice alone 



Polished rice+phosphoric acid . 



Average 



time to 



n euritis. 



Days. 

 29.8 

 25.3 



Average 

 time to 

 death. 



Days. 

 34.7 

 30.2 



The difference in favor of polished rice alone is small and may have 

 been due to idiosyncracies of the fowls, or to other factors. The table 

 shows that the administration of this form of inorganic phosphorus 

 is of no avail in preventing neuritis, for, if such were the case, the fowls 

 receiving it should have remained well much longer than those fed on 

 polished rice alone, whereas they became sick on an average of 4|- days 

 sooner. 



GKOXJP B. THIRTEEN FOWLS SUBSISTING ON UNDEKMILLED RICE. 



Two kinds of undeimilled rice were used, a Filipino "Macan" rice 

 having a yellowish-white pericarp, and a native mixed rice with about 

 one red grain to every four of the j^ellow grains. Both kinds were only 

 partially milled, more than half the surface of the gi-ains being covered 

 with pericarp. The second or mixed variety is that now supplied, on 

 the recommendation of this Board, to the Philippine Scouts. 



Three classes of experiments were made, first (class 9), those on the 

 first variety of undermilled rice; second (class 10), those on the second; 

 and third (class 11), those on the first plus 0.36 gram sodium chloride 

 daily. 



Class 9. Fed on undermilled rice having a yellowish-white 'pericarp. — The rice 

 had 0.271 per cent of potassium oxide and 0.576 per cent of phosphorus pentoxide. 

 Four fowls remained well on this diet for 79 days. None showed the slightest 

 signs of neuritis or other sickness and were in good condition when taken out 

 of the cages. (Numbers 9, 10, 11, and 12.) 



Three of the four gained in weight from 4.2 to 17.9 per cent (average 9.4 

 per cent) while the remaining one lost 17.2 per cent. 



