Vol. 6, 1920 CHEMISTRY: MYERS AND VOEGTLIN 
3 
To eliminate the viscous torsional discrepancy, it would suffice to use 
the method developed by Dr. Strouhal and myself, of boiling the wire for 
20 or 30 hours in water. Such a wire is then practically free from in- 
stabilities at atmospheric temperatures. 
Finally, since the torque is 0.26^, the deviation angle 0.00175 and the 
daily detorsion 0.8 = s, it is interesting to notice that energy is being 
dissipated at the rate of 0.00014 ergs per day, by the decay of torsion 
(very small as it is) above. Much more, no doubt, is released in the de- 
cay of the intense traction. If the body were not exceedingly opaque, 
the strained metal would probably be phosphorescent. 
THE CHEMICAL ISOLATION OF VIT AMINES 
By C. N. Mykrs and Carl Voegtlin 
Division of Pharmacology, Hygiknic Laboratory, United States Public Health 
Service 
Communicated by W. A. Noyes, November 17, 1919 
Vitamines are substances of unknown chemical composition occurring 
in certain foodstuffs, vegetable and animal tissues. They are essential 
for the maintenance of health and for normal growth of animals and men. 
The lower organisms also, such as plants and bacteria, seem to require 
a certain amount of these vitamines for reproduction and growth. The 
existence of at least three vitamines is known at the present time, namely, 
the antiscorbutic vitamine, the deficiency of which in the diet causes 
scurvy; the so-called fat-soluble vitamine, occurring in butter fat and cer- 
tain other fats ; and the antineuritic vitamine, a sufficient amount of which 
must be consumed by animals and men in order to prevent the disease 
called beri-beri. All of these three vitamines are essential for normal 
growth in man. 
During the last few years a study of the relation of vitamines to growth 
and the maintenance of health has been a fertile field for biologists. These 
researches have resulted in conclusions of great scientific and practical 
value. There can be no doubt, however, that many mistaken ideas have 
arisen in this brief period, due mainly to a lack of knowledge of the chem- 
ical character of vitamines. Thus, a few investigators have attempted to 
ascribe definite chemical and physical properties to substances which at 
best were possessed only in their crudest and impure form. These in- 
accuracies can be attributed only to a lack of fundamental, chemical knowl- 
edge on the part of these investigators. Every chemist thinks in terms 
of solubility, dissociation, and other physical chemical properties, but 
always only in case of a pure substance or mixtures of known composi- 
tion and not in the case of crude mixtures and extracts of unknown com- 
