PHOSPHORUS STARVATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE 



TO BERIBERI: II. 



By H^ns Aeon and Felix Hocson. 



In order to reach a definite conclusion concerning the questions under 

 consideration, it is necessary further to prove that phosphorus starvation 

 actually takes place when a man lives on a diet consisting only of 

 polished rice, or on one of similar composition, and that such starvation 

 does not take place if unpolished rice is used to the exclusion of the other 

 variety. 



The minimum amount of phosphoric anhydride in the daily food 

 allowance, according to Tigerstedt, 27 Ehrstrohm, 23 and Kenvall, 29 should 

 be about 3.4 grams of P 2 5 daily for an average man, namely, 0.06 gram 

 per kilo of body weight. 



Now, if we consider the quantity of phosphorus taken in food, the 

 main constituent of which is white rice, this amount will appear to be 

 exceedingly low as compared with that present in a normal European 

 diet. 30 



However, if we take the values given by Ehrstrohm and others as 

 normal, then every Filipino living in his accustomed manner should be 

 nearly in a state of phosphorus starvation; for even a diet of fish and 

 rice scarcely furnishes two grams of P 2 5 daily, which is less than 0.04 

 gram per kilo of body weight. 



Other authors 34 believe the figures given by Tigerstedt and Ehrstrohm 

 to be too high and contend that about 0.035 gram P 2 5 per kilo body 

 weight is sufficient. "We quote the following data taken from a publication 



-' Handbuch d. Phys. Braunschweig (1908), 1. 



-" Slcand. Arch. f. Physiol. (1903), 14, 91. 



"'Ibid. (1904), 16, 94-138. 



"Deutsches Arch. f. klin. Med. (1899), 63, 386-422. 



•"'Meyer, L. F. Ztschr. f. phys. Chem. (1904). 43, 1-10; Magnus-Levy, V. 

 Noorden Handbuch der Pathologie des Stoffwechsels. Berlin, 2d ed. (1906), 1, 

 457. 



9S 



