122 'The Philippine Journal of Science i9i6 



ment of polyneuritis in the three fowls of this series — ^in two 

 of them in thirty-one days, about the same time in which the 

 neuritis would be expected to appear if the polished rice had been 

 given alone. Of the autoclaved-milk-fed fowls, one developed 

 neuritis on the sixty-second day, one died suddenly on the thirty- 

 sixth day from causes not revealed at autopsy, and the third 

 came down with neuritis on the thirty-first day. The results 

 indicate that the milk has little or no protective effect against 

 polyneuritis, and that the autoclaving of the milk has not 

 promoted the onset of the neuritic symptoms. 



The fowls showing symptoms of neuritis were killed shortly 

 before the time of probable death, and they were then autopsied. 

 In each case a segment of the sciatic nerve was removed and 

 was fixed and stained with osmic acid (Marchi). The nerves 

 of all six fowls showed typical Wallerian degeneration. 



Funk and Douglass " have shown that there is marked atrophy 

 of the glands of internal secretion in pigeons suffering from 

 rice polyneuritis; the thymus gland, in particular, is affected. 

 Four of the above fowls were examined by Dr. B. C. Crowell, 

 of the College of Medicine and Surgery, for persistence of the 

 thymus gland. The thymus gland of one fowl (No. 6) was 

 small, while the glands of the other three fowls (Nos. 1, 3, and 

 4) were large. Partly from the findings in the case of these 

 fowls, Crowell ^* concludes correctly that there is apparently no 

 fundamental connection between beriberi and the atrophy of 

 the thymus. However, we are of the opinion that the addition 

 of milk to the diet of polished rice has supplied some nutritive 

 deficiency, which does have an intimate relationship to the endo- 

 crin glands though not influencing the development of the 

 neuritis. 



The fowls fed on autoclaved milk continued to increase in 

 weight as did those given the fresh milk. While the develop- 

 ment of polyneuritis in fowls is usually accompanied by a 

 marked loss of body weight, this symptom is not characteristic, 

 and fowls may even gain in weight." 



The neuritis observed in these fowls has been of the mild tjrpe ; 

 with not one of the five fowls have we obtained the fulminating 

 attacks of polyneuritis so frequently observed when polished 

 rice alone is given.^" 



"Journ. Physiol. il9U), 47, 475. 



"Williams and Crowell, This Journal, Sec. B (1915), 10, 121. 

 ^"Gibson, ibid. (1913), 8, 351; and Schaumann, loc. cit. 

 "Vedder and Clark, ibid. (1912), 7, 423. 



