Deficiency of which causes Beri-heri in Man. 



53 



Table VI. — Minimum Amount of Wheat Embryo required to cure Pigeons 

 (300 — 400 grm. weight), suffering from Acute Polyneuritis induced by a diet of 

 Polished Eice. Material administered by the mouth, without preliminary extrac- 

 tion, as boluses made with a little water. 



Description of 

 material. 



No. 

 of 

 bird. 



Amount of curatiye 

 dose. 



Resnlt 



No. of 

 days 

 cure 



1 n G^" All 



Nature of symptoms. 



Time 



of 

 sicken- 

 ing- 



In terms 

 of 



■f' n Afl R^'.Tl'fF 



In iicriiis 







b ' 











days. 



Wlieat - embryo. 



14/ 



1-0 



0-9 



Improvement 



Q 

 6 



Ijameness 



iSO 



Sample B, con- 



IRI 

 iDl 



1 -0 



0-9 



Complete cure 



5 



Head symptoms 





taining about 



162 



1 -0 



0-9 



No improTcment, died 





Head symptoms and 



17 



15 per cent, fine 











crop-bound 





bran ; water 



220 



1 -0 



0-9 



Died after 24 hours 





Head symptoms and 



23 



content 11 per 













lameness 





cent. 



221 



1 -0 



0-9 



Died after 48 hours 





Head symptoms, 



23 















lameness and crop- 

















bound 







131 



2-5 



2-2 



Complete cure 



9 



Head symptoms and 



24 













lameness 







164 



2-5 



2-2 



Very slight improve- 





Lameness and crop- 



26 











ment for 24 hours 





bound 







232 



2-5 



2-2 



Died 





Head symptoms 



12 





234 



2-5 



2 -2 



Complete cure 



9 



Head symptoms 



18 





236 



2-5 



2-2 



Complete cure 



8 



Head symptoms 



22 



After heating to 100-110" C. 



ill, and were usually quite helpless ; by the term " improvement " is meant 

 that the acute symptoms subsided, and that the bird was out of danger for 

 a time. It should be added, perhaps, that these expressions deal with 

 symptoms alone, and that nothing is assumed with regard to the actual 

 lesions. It is obviously impossible that if axon degeneration is present this 

 can be restored in the short period occupied by the " cure." The quality 

 of the cure was also studied by continuing the diet of polished rice and 

 noting the time elapsing before the recurrence of polyneuritis symptoms. 



Further curative experiments with wheat germ are set forth in Table VI. 

 Here no extraction with alcohol took place, but the moistened germ was 

 given in the form of boluses, which were readily swallowed by the bird. 

 The results of this experiment, compared with those given in Table V, 

 show how great is the loss of vitamine due to the extraction process, and 

 how small, comparatively (from 1 to 2"5 grm.), is the amount of wheat germ 

 required to effect a cure when given in the natural condition. 



The results also show the degree of irregularity that must be expected in 

 this type of experiment (see above, p. 47). This is doubtless due to 



