19,1 Wells: Tikitiki Extract for Beriberi 09 
cases of dry beriberi is followed by little or no improvement in the para- 
lytic symptoms. 
(13) The administration of Funk’s base to cases of dry beriberi is 
followed by an immediate improvement in the paralytic symptoms. This 
should remove the last doubt that dry beriberi is caused by the deficiency 
of this substance in the diet. It also finally proves that dry beriberi of 
man and polyneuritis gallinarum are essentially the same disease. 
(14) We have succeeded in curing a case of infantile beriberi (of the 
wet type) by administering that portion of the extract of rice polishings 
represented by the filtrate from the phosphotungstic precipitate. Since 
this filtrate does not contain Funk’s base, this is evidence that wet beriberi 
is cured by some other substance. 
(15) Conclusions 11, 12, 13 and 14 are striking confirmatory evidence 
for the hypothesis previously stated by Vedder and Clark, that wet beri- 
beri and dry beriberi are two distinct conditions each being caused by the 
deficiency of a separate vitamine. 
Chamberlain and Vedder 10 obtained cures of infantile beri- 
beri by the use of extract of rice polishings made by extracting 
the fine powder with 90 or 95 per cent alcohol in the proportion 
of 3 liters of alcohol to each kilogram of polishings. Later Ved- 
der and Williams decided to extract the polishings three times 
with successive portions of fresh 95 per cent alcohol, using 3 
liters of alcohol to each kilogram of polishings for the first 
extraction and 1.5 liters of alcohol for each of the two following 
extractions. The extracts obtained were combined. Thus they 
observed a higher concentration of protective and curative sub- 
stances in the final extract. The same authors later decided to 
reduce the percentage of alcohol to 90 per cent strength and to 
heat the extraction to 60° or 70°C. The final method for the 
preparation of extract of rice polishings, originated by Vedder 
and Williams, 11 is as follows: 
THE METHOD- OF PREPARING EXTRACT OF RICE POLISHINGS 
Rice polishings or tiqui-tiqui may be obtained from any rice mill, but 
should preferably be from a recent milling. The finest grade of polishings 
should be carefully selected, since some of this product is very coarse 
and consists mostly of hulls. The tiqui-tiqui is first sifted to remove hulls 
and weevils. Gauze of about seven meshes to the centimeter is used for this 
purpose. This fine powder is weighed and mixed with 90 per cent alcohol 
in the proportion of three liters of alcohol to- each kilo of polishings. It 
is then allowed to macerate for 24 hours. A glass jar or white enameled 
receptable [sic] serves for this pupose, and the mixture should be repeated- 
ly stirred or shaken, since the tiqui-tiqui sinks rapidly to the bottom, 
forming a densely packed mass which the alcohol penetrates with difficulty. 
10 Chamberlain, W. P., and Vedder, E. B., Bull. Manila Medical Society, 
No. 2, 4 (1912) 26. 
11 Vedder, Edward B., Beriberi. New York, William Wood & Co. (1913) 
405, 406. 
