SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
promotion of growth in young animals. It is found in almost, all natural 
foodstuffs, but chiefly in the seeds of plants and eggs of animals. It 
is present in considerable amount in such highly cellular organs as 
the liver and brain, and in flesh but little. | Yeast cells and yeast 
-extracts such as the commercial “marmite” are rich in the anti-neuritic 
factor. Its distribution is general in the seeds of legumes, but in those 
of cereals it is concentrated in the germ and in the aleurone layer of 
the endosperm. LBeri-beri is caused by feeding too exclusively on a 
diet of milled cereals such as polished rice and white flour, from both 
of which the germ and “bran” are removed. Polyneuritis in birds 
has been produced experimentally by feeding pigeons on decorticated 
and degermed cereals. This vitamine withstands desiccation for long 
periods, and has a considerable resistance to heat. If during the 
baking of whole-meal bread or biscuits the temperature does. not rise 
above 100 deg. C. the vitamine is not destroyed. : 
' The anti-rachitic vitamine is necessary for the maintenance of 
health in adults, and it has been suggested that war wdema may be 
due to a lack of this factor in the diet. It is present in certain fats 
of animal origin and in green leaves. Panett t 
Cream, butter, beef fat, fish oils, and egg yolk are specially rich in 
it. It is present in very small or negligible amount in vegetable oils. 
While green-leaf vegetables contain this factor, root vegetables are 
deficient in it. eee 
The anti-scorbutic vitamine is necessary for the prevention of 
scurvy. It is present in fresh vegetables, and to a much less extent 
in fresh animal tissues. It is especially abundant in cabbage, swede, 
turnip, lettuce, watereress, lemon, orange, raspberries, and tomatoes. 
Meat and milk possess a definite but low anti-scorbutic value. This 
vitamine is very susceptible to the effect of heat, drying, or other 
“methods of preservation. Ali dry foods and tinned vegetables and 
‘tinned meat are deficient in anti-scorbutie properties. 
“While limitation of space does not permit of an extended review 
. of «the full significance of vitamines or of further extracts from the 
report, there are certain features in connexion with these interesting 
and all-important substances that should not be overlooked by the 
veterinary practitioner or research worker. Rickets, scurvy, and beri- 
beri are definite diseases that may be regarded as the culminating effect 
of prolonged feeding on vitamine-deficient rations. The same erroneous 
method of feeding may, and almost certainly does, produce a condition 
of “non-health” to which no: definite name can be given. Further, 
it. may, and again almost certainly does, so impoverish the natural 
disease-resistance of both men and animals, that a “ text-book ” disease 
may supervene, in connexion with which there may be some confusion 
between cause and effect. It is possible that this is not always appre- 
ciated. The feeding of farm animals to-day is essentially artificial, 
and it is specially important to keep this fact in mind when consider- 
ing the diseases of sheep. An investigation into sheep diseases would 
be one-sided, and possibly unproductive, if limited to a bacteriological 
inquiry, 
a ithere has been shown to be a close association between the occur- 
rence of tuberculosis and the absence of protective vitamines which 
is not without significance. 
440 
