88 



ARON. 



Incidence of beriberi at Culion in 1909-10. 



Month. 

 1909. 



Total 

 popula- 

 tion. 



Deaths. 



Deaths 



from 



beriberi. 



Total 

 number. 



In hospital. 



Admitted 

 sick. 



Dismissed 

 cured. 



1,170 

 1,4S0 

 1,430 

 1 '553 

 1,575 

 1,719 

 1,770 

 1,830 

 1,776 

 1,825 

 1,761 

 1,807 



1,625 

 1,600 





6 



13 

 15 



15 

 14 

 10 



8 

 10 

 21 



4 

 31 

 08 



103 



9 









































47 

 48 

 87 

 61 

 65 

 43 

 80. 

 188 



164 

 26 

















July 



































33 



70 



18-> 

 it 



1 

 1 



"23 



1 

 1 



6 





1910. 











"These eases were examined on February 7 and 8, 1910, on an inspection trip to Culion. 



The rice was changed in the beginning of January and at the same 

 time the supply of the "mongo" 15 bean was increased. 



While a sufficiency of data are not at hand to prove the cause of the 

 outbreak, yet the great reduction in the number of cases after increasing 

 the ratio of mongo, which is rich in phosphorus and protein, is striking. 



At the suggestion of the writer, Dr. Victor G. Heiser, Director of 

 Health for the Philippine Islands, in February, 1910, gave the order that 

 only unpolished rice (pinaoa) should be supplied to the lepers in Culion. 

 Beriberi disappeared among the lepers in April, 1910, and has not made 

 its reappearance. 



THE PHOSPHORUS CONTENT OF POLISHED AND UNPOLISHED EICE IN 

 EELATION TO BERIBERI. 



The next question to be considered is: Are these variations in the 

 content of phosphorus as observed in the different kinds of rice sufficient 

 to explain the difference in the action of polished and unpolished rice 

 as foodstuffs capable or not of causing beriberi as well as polyneuritis 

 gallinarum ? 



15 Mongo is a small bean, Phaseoliis radiatus Linn. (P. mungo Blanco), 

 similar to Icatjang idjo, of Dutch India. The native physicians of this archi- 

 pelago have proved it to be as valuable as the latter as a popular remedy for 

 beriberi. This bean, according to my analysis, contains the following: Protein, 

 23.75 per cent; water, 9.56 per cent; P'^Ou, 0.77 per cent; fat, 4.5 per cent; crude 

 fiber, 6.4 per cent. 



.No further samples of the November and December rice were obtainable, but that 

 used from December 25 until January 12 and after this date has been analyzed 

 and the following per cent of P 2 5 obtained; rice from December 25 to January 

 12, 0.321; rice from January 12, 0.463. 



