Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1921-03-16
SCIENCE SEEKS
FOR vITAMINES
Elusive Substance Gives Zesl
and Real Value 10 tho
Food We Eat
REEs the TABLE D'no1Es
oelsntists Concentrate - ospsratih0
Il From Wanda Avt Without 8vo.
eaos-Diffsr - 10 What .
vitamIns Really L.

New York.-Food values are Of e.
p<cial interest these days Of high
pricea.
One dimes at, say. = restaurant u
New York city's Latin Quarter"
famed fer Its atmosphere bu, uncer.
tain as to cooking. The food Is men
toned casually On the menu In sew
esal ianguases-but the chicken Il
tastcless. the potatoes boring and ths
salad disappointing. However. one Il
hungry and eats largely. An hour
later. the pangs Of hunxe. again make
themselves felt. One finally resorts to
the home !cebox and par,akes Of some
humble bread and butter and milk.
and thai indehnable lack is satisfied.
The reason for this state Of affairs
IL not far to seek Vitemines. At
such places the food Is deficient In
these intangible and microscopic sub
are essential 10 nutrition and which
are 10 be found in large number Of
properly prepared foods but are Ge-
strcyed by excessive heat. drying or
other methods OF preservation often
employed for economy or conTe:Iience.
The mystery 81 the vitsminc IS. there
fore " vital Interest, as lis name in
plies TO the world L, large.
What is 4 Vitar,ine!
Just what IL y.ta,nine! This Ques-
uon is still perp.ex!ng chemists. &C
cordlng 10 recent article BY d.
Atherton Seidell of the public health
service, In the curren, number Of the
Journal OF Industrial and Engineering
Chemistry. These elusive substances
have been found necessary not only ~
dietary factors but even for the pro
lonraiion Of life. Their exact nature,
however. still remains mystery,
though much has been discovered con-
ccrning their effect on the human sys-
TEN and the general benefits conferred
by them. For instance. experiments
have proved that animals can live In.
supply all the constituents Of milk
separately -- protesnx. carbohydrte4
fats and salts. In fact. al! the known
food clomcH:s~-and the animal wastes
away and finally dies
Several theories are held In regard
10 this problem. Some scientists In.
cline 10 classify sitainines as s'ruc~
tural compounds of living tissues.
which function along the same lines
as the other tissues Others r~iegate
substances which have been ap,iy de-
fined as chemical parsons," a. they
accomplish the chemical union Of
various subsisnces without heius
themselves affected. Many think that
they are derived originally from
plants. and one well.enown scientist
states that they are always present
In natural foods,ufys !nst.nctively cen
sumed by men and an,malx
rhree ryp<s Of vi,an.lnA
Al the presen, time. ikree types Of
viiaaine are known 70 exist: The
wster-so.ubls variety. f~opd tn mi,k,
SS"nts aSi VtbCf sAhH1AICNBs NAC INV
soluble ones. which are prcsent In but.
ter and e11 yclks: aud third class
designated Rs "antiscorhui!c." which 10
found III a number Of fresh vegetables
and fruits and also In the outside
hask Of rice. Lack Of these necessary
food constituents results In various
scurvy. bcri.heH. and other dis-
raxcA
In fact. the Importance cf the anti |
factor was discovered purely
accidentally. AS \ result Of al epiden,- |
c Of beri-beri among the rice eating |
Eastern nations after modern milling |
obtained In these ccuntrtcs |
md the surface layer Of the rice was |
When an extract OF this |
ausk was eventually supplied the dis
Nase was prevented.
Lack Of both the other types Of s1fa.
mine result In gradual wasting
,uay. This. In the case Of the fat. !
soluble v:sam!ne, Is accompanied BY .
Kindness and often by lung trouhla
,ut the wasting process Is more grad |
ial, as the system suhsists for q while |
m Its reserve store Of fat