VIII, B, 5 Gibson: Salt Mixtures and Beriberi 357 



the rice polishings may be due to this factor. In fact, qualita- 

 tive tests have shown that calcium, potassium, and some organic 

 acid, other than lactic acid, are present in such extracts of the 

 rice polishings. 



It is probable that the balanced inorganic constituents of 

 Osborne and Mendel's ration are not as well adapted for fowls 

 as for mammals. Still, in the experiments reported in this 

 paper, the attempt has been made to supply the several salts to 

 the rice fed to fowls with particular reference to calcium and 

 the salts of some organic acid. While the experiments have not 

 been successful in this respect, the results are of sufficient in- 

 terest to warrant publication. Some experiments with monkeys, 

 one of which developed an almost typical case of beriberi, are 

 included. 



PREPARATION OF THE SALT MIXTURES 



The rice employed (Philippine No. 1) had an ash content of 

 0.47 per cent. A stock salt mixture was made with rice flour, 

 but otherwise prepared in essentially the same manner as de- 

 scribed by Osborne and Mendel. When the stock salt mixture 

 was added to about two and one-half times the weight of cracked 

 rice, 1 kilogram of the food would have approximately the com- 

 position for the mineral ingredients recommended by Osborne 

 and Mendel if the analyses for "Rice I" can be taken as repre- 

 sentative. In the calcium experiments, the carbonate was neu- 

 tralized with hydrochloric acid or with both hydrochloric and 

 lactic acids (the latter in amount equivalent to the citric acid 

 in Osborne and Mendel's experiments). In two cases, half the 

 above amount of lactic acid, as sodium lactate, was fed with the 

 polished rice. 



For 980 grams of rice flour there were used CaCOs, 53 grams; 

 MgCOs, 5.5 grams; KjCOs, 50.8 grams; Na^COs, 54.3 grams; Fe-citrate, 

 1.7 grams; HCl (sp. gr. 1.20), 137.7 cubic centimeters; HjSOi (sp. gr. 

 1.84), 2 cubic centimeters; H3PO4 (85 per cent), 19.3 cubic centimeters; 

 and citric acid, 40 grams. In the calcium chloride experiments 54 grams 

 of CaCOs were neutralized with HCl and added to 1 kilogram of rice 

 flour; and for the lactate experiments a mixture of 30 grams of CaCOs 

 neutralized with lactic acid and of 24 grams of CaCOs neutralized with 

 HCl, per kilogram of rice flour, served as the stock salt mixture. 



EXPERIMENTAL METHODS 



Well-grown young male fowls were used in the experiments. 

 These were kept in individual cages with alberine stone floors 

 and provided with a perch. The cages were cleaned daily. In 

 the earlier experiments, the stock rice-salt mixture was made 



