420 
Journal of Agricultural Research voi. xxvii, No. 6 
MANGANESE ASSOCIATED WITH VITAMINS IN ANIMAL TISSUES 
Various investigations concerning the vitamin content of lean meat 
generally concur in the conclusion that while lean meat contains some 
of all the vitamins it is not nearly so rich in these as are some of the 
glandular organs of the animal body such as the liver, kidneys, spleen, 
and pancreas. The writer has found no suggestions in the literature as 
to why these glandular organs are richer in vitamins than the lean muscu¬ 
lar meat. Plimmer (9) states that meat consumed in small daily quan¬ 
tities, from 4 to 8 ounces, may not supply enough of any one factor to 
compensate for an absence of vitamins in the rest of the diet. However, 
meat consumed in very large quantities protects both from beriberi and 
scurvy. Plimmer (9) also states that Krogh visited Greenland to 
study the metabolism of Eskimos and verified the report that they 
sometimes eat as much as 15 pounds of meat in less than fourteen hours 
without ill effect. He also says that the chief or only food was boiled 
seal meat, liver, and blubber. The raw liver of seals and the middle 
epidermal layers of certain whales are regarded by the Eskimos as a 
sure protection against scurvy, and their value has been fully confirmed 
by the medical officers of Greenland. It is also stated by Plimmer that 
fat or muscle is not as rich in fat-soluble A factor as the fat around the 
internal organs, e. g., kidney suet. 
Having demonstrated that manganese is necessary for the normal 
metabolic processes in the growth of plants, it is only natural to consider 
the manganese content of the animal body and whether or not this 
element is also necessary for the normal metabolic processes in animal 
life. The Department of Animal Husbandry of the Kentucky Agri¬ 
cultural Experiment Station furnished the organs used in the analysis 
shown in Table I. 
Table I .—Amount of manganese found in moisture-free materials 
Parts. 
Hog. 
Sheep. 
Steer. 
P.p.m. 
P.p.m. 
P.p.m. 
Brain. 
( a ) 
2. OO 
2. 
Heart. 
\ I. 50 
O 
2.30 
2. 50 
Lean meat. 1 
• 5 ° 
1.25 
,80 
Eat.| 
. 00 
Trace. 
Trace. 
Kidney. 
5. 00 
8. 50 
6. 75 
Liver. j 
12. 50 
15.00 
14. 00 
Pancreas. ! 
(*) 
( b ) 
4.00 
l 
a Sample insufficient for a determination. & No sample obtained. 
From the results shown in the foregoing table it is evident that the liver 
contains about twice as much manganese as any other part of the animal 
examined. The kidneys are the part next richest in manganese, while the 
pancreas, brain, heart, and lean meat follow in order of their manganese 
content. The fat of each of these animals contained no more than a 
trace of manganese at the most and the lean meat very little. 
The findings here recorded are considerably greater than those re¬ 
ported by Bertrand (/), who has determined manganese in some of the 
same organs of these and other animals. However, he too finds the largest 
quantities of manganese in the liver and kidneys. These results for man- 
