THE  AMEEICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
JULY,  1 918 
if  v 
EDITORIAL. 
THE  STORY  OF  THE  VIT 
In  the  present  issue  of  the  Journal  there  is  presented  a  number 
of  the  more  recent  contributions  to  scientific  literature  on  the  subject 
of  the  "  skacoids"  or  "  vit amines."  The  necessity  of  presenting,  to 
our  readers,  as  fully  as  possible,  the  important  scientific  advances  and 
the  influence  which  the  development  of  this  subject  is  destined  to 
exert  on  medicine  and  dietetics  fully  justifies  the  space  devoted  to 
this  symposium.  While  comparatively  little  is  yet  known  of  the 
chemistry  and  special  action  of  these  unique  substances,  it  is  ap- 
parent that,  as  a  class,  they  play  a  very  important  role  in  the  nourish- 
ment and  life  functions  of  every  living  being. 
Many  of  the  niceties  of  nature's  laboratories  have  not  yet  been 
fathomed  by  man  and  human  hypotheses  are  often  vague  and  at 
times  erroneous.  While  the  information  concerning  this  group  of 
food  accessory  factors  is  as  yet  very  indefinite,  the  investigations 
so  far  made  into  this  interesting  and  inviting  field  of  scientific  ex- 
ploration seem  to  indicate  that  a  veritable  mine  is  being  developed, 
the  importance  of  which  to  human  welfare  can  scarcely  be  estimated. 
The  desire  to  please  the  human  palate  has  led  to  the  elimination 
of  certain  normal  constituents  of  food  and  in  such  refinements  as 
degermed  wheat  and  polished  rice  we  have  eliminated  nature's  pro- 
visions for  maintaining  the  equilibrium  of  vital  functions  or  for  re- 
storing such  equilibrium  where  any  derangement  has  occurred. 
The  wide  distribution  of  these  vitamines  in  articles  of  food,  both 
of  animal  and  vegetable  origin,  indicates  their  importance  to  the 
physiologic  well  being  of  the  individual.  The  absence  of  these  from 
an  otherwise  satisfactory  diet  of  a  mixture  of  proteins,  fats,  carbo- 
hydrates and  inorganic  salts,  results  in  a  decline  in  nutritive  food 
