100 The Philippine Journal of Science 1915, 
the experimental standpoint. However, it may be remarked 
that the cases we have observed are a fairer average of beriberi 
as it commonly occurs than an equal number of carefully 
selected cases. 
ALLANTOIN 
The extract of rice polishings is a very complex mixture, 
and the constituents which have shown activity in fowls are 
present in comparatively minute quantities. Funk’s vitamine 
is generally regarded as the principal active substance. How- 
ever, this substance is present in a free state in the ordinary 
extract in vanishingly small amounts, and such an extract utterly 
fails to cure severely prostrated birds. One of us working 
with Vedder? reported a cure of infantile beriberi with an 
extract from which the vitamine both free and combined had 
been completely precipitated and removed with phosphotung- 
stic acid. Allantoin was subsequently found in this extract. 
It had previously been isolated by Funk‘ by another method, 
and its curative powers tested on fowls. He reported that 
allantoin frequently relieved the prostration and prolonged life.® 
This is in general accord with our own results on fowls. 
Allantoin is easily prepared synthetically by the oxidation 
of uric acid with potassium permanganate. Allantoin occurs 
normally in the urine of many animals. In birds and human 
beings, according to the best evidence, it is only present to any 
great extent when it exists as such in the food. From what 
is known of Funk’s vitamine, it seems probable that allantoin 
resembles this vitamine more or less in its chemical constitution. 
Allantoin could be placed upon the market at a nominal price, 
and its purity could be readily and easily controlled. If it 
should prove beneficial in any considerable proportion of cases, 
it would be a useful although probably far from ideal remedy. 
We have treated 5 cases of human beriberi with allantoin, and 
the records are presented below. 
CASE 1 
A girl aged 5 years was admitted to the hospital, having been 
sick for two weeks and was steadily growing worse. The 
child’s sister (case 20) was in much the same condition. The 
mother, who was nursing an infant 2 months old, was chronic- 
* This Journal, Sec. B (1918), 8, 192. 
* Journ. Physiol. (1912), 45, 75. 
‘Ibid. (1912), 45, 489. 
* Ackroyd, Biochem. Journ. (1911), 5, 400. 
