The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1923-10-26
RATS,USEDT TO AID
The HUMAN RACE
Effects Of Diet Studied by Uni
verSity Professor.
GIVES new FACTS TO SCIENCE

university, has put the rat to work at
task that may eventually mean
longer aud better life to man.
For fifteen years Doctor McCollum
has been experimenting with rats
thousands Of them~-and discovering
facts in the effect of diet upon growth,
health and heredity. These facts,
when enough of them have been as
sembled and studied, are expected to
aid in establishing new principles In
the science Of nutrition.
Professor McCollum's laboratory has
accommodations for 5000 rats, though
only $40 inmates are undergoing ex-
pertinent this summer. When the viSi-
tor enters the room not sound be-
trays the presence Of living thing.
Cages in rows line the walls and the
floor, each heavily screened. Here and
there the quick flirting of tail shows
that cage Is occupied.
Diseased Rats Destroyed.
All of the rats in the room are nor
NAL, healthy specimens. They are bred
there at the colony. Any Of the stock
rats that show signs of becoming I'M
healthy before entering into experiment
tation are destroyed.
New arrivals at the colony, in the
form Of baby rats, are fed orange juice
from an eye dropper. AS they grow
larger their diet is changed, and when
they have matured regular diet is
prescribed This diet consists Of %
per cent wheat, 25 per cent maize, 29.5
per cent rolled oats, 10 per cent flax
seed oil meal, 10 per cent casein and
five tenths of per cent calcium car
Donate. Daily bowl of milk is placed
in each cage and twice a week the rats
get cabbage or carrots. This, with the
addition Of tap water is the diet upon
which the stock rats thrive. When q
rat enters the experimental stage dis
titled water is used.
Odd Effect of Diet.
/ Doctor McCollum has succeeded In
bringing about, by means of diets
practically any condition Of health de-
sired, He can make the rat prema
turely old, make it wild, make it tame
and even regulate to the day it's span
of life. Further than that he has
proved that in many cases a rats reac
tion to certain diet will be identica
with that of man fed on the same
diet. He says:
"There is perhaps nothing more wor
thy Of careful consideration as a hui
man problem than the suggestive re
suits of the behavior Of our experiment
tai rats as modified by diet"
"The well-nourished rat" Doctor
AIcCollum says, when placed in
cage, wants to explore it's surroundings
Its coat is sleek, it's eyes bright and II
shows no signs of nervousness. Aftel
! exploring it's new home it does moi
manifest much activity, but is perfect
" contented while On familiar ground
To show that the healthy rat does
not mind being handled, Doctor McCol
lum opens a cage, reaches in with bare
hands, pulls six rats together by theil
tails and calmly lifts them out, hold
ing them up for inspection, heads down
ward. They do not squeal and they
make no attempt to- bite.
Entirely different symptoms are ex
hbited by rats on deficient diet
When the cage is opened they retreat
to far corner and show signs o.
fright These rats are handled with {
pair of long tongs, and it is often i'm
possible to pick them up, because o.
their frantic jumping about.
( The young of a mother rat suffering
from malnutrition will develop thu
mothers symptoms, and after a few
days will sit up on their launches an(
squeal for hours. Death usually fol
lows.
One of the experiments consists II
feeding a rat a diet that Is adequate
in all respects but in its protein con
tent. A growing rat fed on this die
will become dwarfed. If, after severa
months the diet is changed and nor
NAL one substituted, the rat will once
more start to grow. Even though 1
may reach full size, however 1t viii
always be deformed In some way.
month-old rat is considered as mature
as a three-year-old child.
Lengthening Life by Diet.
The average life of a rat is tive
years. Under proper diets, however
Doctor McCollum has heightened thi
span to three years. He has also for
INFLATED diets that will determine, al
most to the day, how long rat will
live.
Two sets Of young rats will be takel
and placed in different cages. All tn,
rats will be the same age and 0
healthy stock. One cage will have on
diet, the other cage diet almost iden
teal, with the exception of one item
In some cases a very slightly differen
ratio will be made.
Ali Of the rats will flourish. The,
will appear normal and healthy, AM
each group will make the same prog
ress. At the end of six months, Docto
Mcclellan will have two cages Of ap
parently healthy animals, but here tn,
change begins.
The rats with the adequate diet will
continue bright-eyed and sleek coated
They will not become nervous, and will