The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1922-08-04
WTAM|NE SECRET
SOUGHT IN CORN
Experiments With Growing Grain
Indicate ChIorophyII Is Nee
essary to Production.
COD LIVER IS RICHEST SOURCE
Experts Recommend Cod Liver Oil as
Part Of Daily Diet of Infants, Be-
cause of Its Power to Pre-
vent and Cure Ricketts,.

New YOrk.-Ehe analysis of corn IL
the seed and at various stages OF
growth, in the course Of experiments
by DR.. Benjamin Harrow and Others
at the College Of Physicians and Sur
geOns, has indicated that the vita
mines are either produced by the sur
as chlOrOphyll or that the production
of vitamines depends on chlOrOphyll.
'The seed corn does not gain in its
vitamine content when it sprouts" he
| said. "The vitamineS seem to be the
same in number. But as it shoots uI
and begins to turn green, the vitamines
increase rapidly"
SO far it is believed that vita.
mines of all types are produced origi.
nally by plants alone, and are not to
be found in soil or non-organic com.
pounds or in living things except as
the result Of vegetable food which con-
tains them. This is hard to reconcile
with the fact that the greatest known
concentration of vitamineS is in the
liver of the cod which lives on an
exclusive fish diet. CLAIMS and other
sea animals on which the cod lives,
however, probably obtain from sea
vegetation the vitamines which they
pass on to the cod. Much of this veg
citation, however, receives little or no
sunlight on account of it's depth, so
that the different types of vitamines
may be originated in different meth
DDS
While cod-liver oil is the richest of
all things in Vitamine A and is rec
commended by Doctor Harrow and his
associates as part of the daily diet
Of infants, because of it's power to
prevent and cure ricketts,, Doctor Har-
row, DR.. Alfred F. Hess and other
workers on this subject are doubtful
whether it is the vitamine which cures
the ricketts,.
Cause of Ricketts, Obscure.
''The doubt is due to the fact that
ricketts, occurs among infants on a wide
variation of diets, including many diets
well supplied with Vitamine A." he
said. ut has also been shown that
the disease is caused by some disturb
ance in the proportion Of calcium and
PHOSPHORUS in the food of the infants.
These are the two principal bone-mak-
erS and there is shortage of phOs-
phOruS in the case Of a child with
ricketts,. The sunlight seems to pro-
duce this phosphorus. Codliver oil in
variably restores the balance and
cures the disease. But it is very like
ly that there is some other factor in
the cOd-liver Oil rather than Vitamine
A, which does this. In our laboratory
and in many others researches are be-
ing made to identify this agent in cod
liver oil. There are various substances
in the oil which are little understood
at present. 1t may prove to be Vita
mine A or new vitamine, but it may
be something of another nature.
'On the other hand, it is known
that cOd-liver oil is perfect specific
against ricketts,, which is unfortunate,
ly a very prevalent disease. Orange
juice is given to infants as part of
their daily diet for the prevention of
scurvy, and cod-liver oil should be
given to every infant in the same
way. 1t is unpleasant to adults, but
infants become exceedingly fond of
it."
DIR. Casimir Funk, who discovered
the vitamines, denied that there was
any advantage in large consumption
of vitamines, and said that the public
was not benefited by the propaganda
to sell certain foods on the grounds
that they were rich in these factors.
MAN cannot live without a mini.
mum supply, but the average Ameri.
can gets plenty of all types in the
average diet" he said.
$4,000 Would Eliminate It.
On the value of cod.liver oil against
ricketts,, Doctor Hess wrote:
There are approximately 125,OOO
children in New York city between the
ages Of three and fifteen months. the
period of greatest susceptibility to
ricketts,. If we estimate generously
that the families of one-third to one
quarter Of these children are unable
to purchase cod-liver oil, and if we
agree that the development of rickets
may be prevented by giving a tea
spoonful three times day, then at the
present cost ricketts, could be practi
cally abolished in this city by the ex
penditure- of about 100000 a year
This is but one Of many instances in
which the community does not get the