340 The Philippine Journal of Science 1915 
for practical purposes is that between beriberi of short and 
long duration. Nevertheless the more detailed classification has 
been made the basis of considerable argument and speculation 
regarding the identity as to etiology of the various forms of 
the disease. Of the essential identity we feel less and less 
doubt in the light of further experience. Chronic beriberi in 
mothers and the acute form in nursing infants are almost in- 
variably associated with each other and all types are benefited 
by the same treatment.® 
These facts, namely, (1) the symptom complex, (2) the rapid 
development of, and recovery from, acute beriberi, (3) the prop- 
erties of the milk of beriberic mothers, and (4) the apparent 
close association of all types of the disease, have led us to for- 
mulate a working hypothesis somewhat as follows: That in beri- 
beri there exists a toxic substance which produces the symptoms 
of the disease. If produced rapidly or in great quantities this 
toxic substance brings about a condition similar to anaphylactic 
shock, resulting in acute beriberi. If gradually developed there 
results chronic beriberi with progressive nerve lesions. This 
toxic substance may be produced by a hypothetical organism or, 
as may perhaps seem more probable, may be the product of 
normal or slightly disturbed metabolism. The vitamines are 
then necessary antidotes for the poison and are, therefore, to 
be regarded as therapeutic agents rather than foods. Incident- 
ally it may be mentioned here that the results of the chemical 
investigation of the vitamine, which are to be published shortly, 
bear out this view rather than otherwise. 
Our efforts to demonstrate the presence of such a toxic sub- 
stance in beriberic fowls have for the most part been unsuc- 
cessful. Nevertheless the occasional positive results obtained 
warrant further effort along this line as the possibilities have not 
been exhausted by any means. The problem is doubtless some- 
what complicated by the apparent presence of some vitamines in 
the carcasses of pigeons.’ The fact that alcoholic extracts of 
such carcasses are curative rather than poisonous is no argu- 
ment against the existence of a toxic substance, as the latter 
would probably be destroyed or eliminated by extraction with 
alcohol. 
Our first experiments consisted in the injection of the defi- 
brinated or citrated blood of neuritic fowls into the veins of 
healthy birds. Quantities of from 5 cubic centimeters to 20 
* Williams and Saleeby, This Journal, Sec. B (1915), 10, 99. 
*Funk, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem. (1914), 89, 373. 
