The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1921-10-28
Vitannines.

There are three substances, or
groups of substances, not yet chemi-
cally identified, which are necessary
to normal growth and maintenance.
A diet may be adequate in amount OF
kind of fuel protein, ash constitu-
ents and water, and still fail to pro-
mote normal growth or maintain an
animal in health if one or all of these
three substances is lacking. They are
variously known as vitamines (Cas-
imir Funk, accessory food sub
stances (Hopkins), and food hor-
mones (Graham Lusk). One of them
is soluble in fat (styled Fat Soluble
Al, and is found naturally in such
substances as butter, cod liver oil,
fat of egg yolk and of glandular or
gans such as the kidney, but is not
found in lard or in ol;:e oil or any
other fat or oil of vegetable origin.
1t is, however, found in the leaves of
plants. The absence of this vitamine
in the diets of growing animals re-
suits in retarded growth which is re-
sumed when a food containing the
growth-promoting fat is added. Full
grown animals do not show lack of
the fat-soluble vitamine as quickly as
do growing animals, but eventually
they give evidence of impaired health
and nutrition which disappears on
the addition of this essential food fac
tor The best sources of fat-soluble
vitamine are whole milii, butter, egg
yolk and the leafy vegetables. The
second vitamine is soluble in water
(styled Water Soluble b, =ad insol-
uble in fat. Lack of it causes dis
ease known as beriberi, fatal form
of paralysis prevalent among rice
eating peoples. The disease can be
prevented or cured by usine unpol-
ished rice instead of polished or |
white rice, or by adding TO tie diet |
beans, peanuts or whole grains The
water soluble vitamine is more wide
ly distributed in natural foods than |
the fat-soluble and there is much less |
danger of a deficiency in this respect |!
than of the fat-soluble vitamine. |
Foods rich in this substance are milk,
egg yolk, legumes, the bran and germ
of whole grains and green vegetables. |
The third vitamine water Soluble |
O., gives to certain foods their an
tiscorbutic quality. The occurrence
of scurvy has been found to be coin
cident with a diet consisting largely
of dried and cooked foods; it cured |
by the use of fresh foods, such as
oranges, lemons, lines, potatoes, cab
bage and tomatoes, in particular and
fresh fruits and vegetables in gen.
eral Cooked and canned fruits do
not appear to have lost much of their
antiscorbutic property, but the ordi-
nary cooking of vegetables has varia
BILE results, usually resulting in some
loss, and sometimes in complete loss.
Cabbage, potato and tomatoes stand
heating very well. The heating of
milk injuries the antiscorbutic prop
erty, and the use of pasteurized or
boiler milk or proprietary foods in
feeding infants frequently results in
the development of subacute infantile
scurvy unless raw milk is substituted
or fresh fruit or vegetable juice is
added Hess and Fish,, and recent
work is reported Hess and Unger)
in which canned tomato juice was
orange juice, even with very young
children. The animal body cannot
manufacture vitamines; it can only
gather them from its food. If the
diet is deficient in any one of these
necessary substances Satisfactory nu-
triton IL impossible A perfect food
must contain all nutritive elements
of the body: proteins, carbohydrates,
fats, mineral matter, water, and vi
tamines; it must contain these in
their proper proportions; it must
contain in a moderate compass the
total amount required daily; the nu-
tritive element must be capable of
easy absorption, and yet leave GER
tain bulk of unabsorbed matter to act
as intestinal ballast.
Consult E. v. McCollum 1.-THE
Newer knowledge of Nutrition;"
1.-THE American Home Diet, Dy Nc
Collum and Simmons; "Vitamines:
Essential Food Factors" by Harrow;
Function of Vitamines in the Met
abolish of Sclerotinia Cinerea," by
Willaman.
Letter From State Superintendent.