Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-12-23
vitaminss-An Invisible Power

vitaminss-An invisible Power
Get q good grip on this new word
vitamine which you are going to hear
more and more about; it's pretty
closely tied UP to your health" said
DR.. H. E. Howe. a prominent mem.
Der Of the northeastern section Of the
American Chemical Society. What
| is a vitamine? Well, it's rather dif-
| fcult TO answer that straight out.
Vitamine is the name given to sub
stances as yet unidentified which
have the power to promote and sus-
tain body growth; like electricity.
they have never been seen. We have
| gained our present knowledge Of cleo
trical energy and the laws which
govern it through observation OF
what it does and something Is known
Of the way in which it does it. BY
painstaking research information re-
garding what vi:amines do has been
gained but just how they accomplish
the results remain somewhat OF a
mystery. 1t was observed that In
places where the people live almost
entirely upon polished rice a pc -
liar fatal disease. beri -beri, was
found and that where rice forme but
! a part of the diet there was no such
disease Science set out to find why.
and one Of the early experiments
demonstrated that unpublished re, not
only prevented but tended to cure
beri- beri.
Feeding experiments, using rats
and guinea pigs and pigeons. have
gone on ever since and by the process
of elimination. and later combination
Of elements, we nov know that an in
visible substance is present in certain
foods and if we do not have them in
our diet. VIC can not exist. Further.
there are two kinds Of vitanlines TO
which, for want Of better desisna-
tons. have been given the names Fat
Soluble A and Water Soluble E. Both
are essential. The one is found in
butter fat and some other animal
fats. the yolk of eggs, in liver and
certain vegetables. The other occurs
in yeast, milk cereals, fresh fruit
and fruit juices and often with the
fat soluble variety.
The practical application is that,
especially in the diet Of children, food
rich in vitamines must be included
and for all Of us a mixed diet is es-
sention. We suffer no injury If ir the
face Of high butter prices We use
palatable substitutes because Ameri-
cans are fortunate in having a mixed
diet and hence many sources Of Wit
amines. We can supplement our
food supply by q more universal and
constant use of dry skim milk taking
advantage thereby Of cheap body
building protein for our fat soluble
yltamine will be found in ether items
Of the average diet. But young
child can not manage a complex diet
hence the fundamental Importance Of
proper milk supply. pure. rich and
not beyond the purse Of the less we'll
to do. Hero dry whole milk plays it's
part for vitamines are not injured at
the temperature used in the best
methods Of drying.
when American relief. as repre-
scented by the Red Cross and other
organizations, reached Serbia and
Roumania the children were found to
be in a terrible state due to the lack
Of vitamines as a result Of no milk
following the disappearance of the
herds. AS an emergency measure Il
mission is said to have undertaken
the considerable journey to Baltic
seaports and to have returned r. u
with cod liver oil, known to be rich
in fat soluble vitamines. In Japan,
when children are run down" chick
en- livers arc added to the food sup
ply in quantity. In the Far East, I'M
polished rice is being used to reduce
heri- beri. In France dry milk is
needed to the extent Of ton 4 day
from America that the French chill
dren may have proper vitamine-
bearing food
And so while chemists have SO far
been unable to isolate and identify
vitamines. there are numerous re-
searches OF the first rank who have
proven the existence of such bodies
and their conclusions based on work
with lower animals arc being con-
hrmcd by the experience Of the race
at time when babies and young
children are worth more than at any
other period in our history. In con-
tributing to our knowledge of what is
essential to proper growth biological
chemistry has placed US in its debt"
But What Does II Mean?"
President Wilson has been accorded
~