The New York herald., 1922-06-19
FIND NEW VITAMIN,
A BONE PROTECTOR
DR.. Z. V. McCollum and Asso-
ciates of Johns Hopkins
Announce Discovery.
WILL PREVENT RICKETS
New Element Will Be Classi-
fled as 'D' i'm the Science
of Dietetics.

Special Dispatch to THE NEW York HERALD.
BALTIMORE. June Is. After three
years of research DIR. Il. V. McCollum.
famous biochemst of the scaool OF hy-
giene and public health at Johns Hop
kins University, assisted by Miss Nina
Smmonds and DR.. p. G.. Shipley, has
made another discovery of great inn
portance to the comparatively new
science of dietetics.
They have captured a hitherto un-
known vitamin. which had been labeled
vitamin ID. the specific purpose of which
is the protection of bone growth and the
prevention of the disease known as
ricketts,.
DR.. McCollum referred to this dis
covery in an address at the convention
of the Holstein-Friesian Association re-
Gently held in Kansas City, but it was
not until to-day that he made anything
like detailed announcement.
In discussing the matter to-day he
said that IN the last twelve years in
vestigators have come to an agreement
on the point that there are at least three
'vitamins. which have become known as
vitamins A. b and c.
1000 Rats I'm Experiments.
These" he continued, when lacking
from the diet, cause the. development of
type of eye disease known as ophthal-
mia. type of paralysis and scurvy re-
spectively BY this 1t means that one
vitamin is concerned with one of the
specific deficiency diseases. Recently my
assistants and / have demonstrated the
existence of fourth vitamin. which is
concerned with bone growth.
"The discovery was made in the course
of an investigation of the cause of rick
cts. disease characterized by faulty
bone growth. This investigation has
been in progress for about three years.
Approximately 1000 animals-rats-
have been used as experimental subjects
in this work.
1T was found that the primary cause
of rickets is disturbance of the metab-
olism of calcium and of phosphorus, the
principal elements concerned in the for
nation of the skeleton. When there is
disproportion between these elements.
the calcium supply being inadequate and
the phosphorus abundant, or the phos-
phorus supply inadequate ana the cal
cium abundant or excessive, the disease
is likely to develop. Under these condi-
tions animals become deformed in much
the same manner as do children who
suffer from this disease.
Physicians long have believed that
cod liver oil has a therapeutic value
i'll the treatment of ricketts,, and in the
studies referred to this oil was found
to exert a decided protective action in
preventing the onset of ricketts, when the
dietary conditions were favorable for it's
occurrence. This fact was also noted
by an English investigator named Mel
lanby.
Action of the Fats.
"Mellanby suggested that the protec-
tive action of certain fats in ricketts, was
probably due to the presence in them
of the vitamin A. which, as had been
stated. is concerned with the causation
of opthalnia, an eye disease of dietary
origin.
I'VE have detected the vitamin A by
oxidation. and have made cod liver oil
incapable of preventing the eye disease.
but without diminishing In a noticeable
degree its value for the prevention or
cure of rickets, and have thus shown
that certain fats contain two vitamins.
one related to the functioning of the
nutritional processes OF the eyes. the
other concerned primarily with the reg
ulation of calcium and phosphorus me-
tabolism as 1t affects bones.
'By selectively destroying one of these
properties anu retaining the Otner II is
proved that two dietary principles are
operating in cod liver oil. rather than
one such substance which has two regu-
latory functions In the bones"
WASHINGTON. June 1s.-Experimental
tests on rats and pigeons have resulted
in the discovery that vitamins occur In
animal tissues. such as beef. veal. NUT
ton. lamb and pork. according to the
Department of Agriculture.
Heretofore it was assumed by scien-
lists that vitamins existed only in spe-
cial food products.
This new evidence on the distribution
of vitamins In meats should not lead 80
the conclusion, the department said. that
certain meats were of low nutritivc
value because of deficiency in vitamins.
Meat - one of the most important
foods" the statement added, "anl
would continue to be so even though /.
contained no vitamins."
----------------------