The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-04-12
ANEMIA CASES
MAY Be CURED
BY RED METAL
Experiments on Rats Yield
Astonishing Results,
Scientists Report.
MORE VITAL THAN IRON
New Discovery May Change
Ideas on DietetiCs,
Stock Feeding.
BY Science Service

ANN ARBOR, Mich, April H.
Copper, the red metal, is an essen
t1al factor in the diet to keep the
blood red and the body vigorous, a
group of University of Wisconsin
chemists, headed by DR.. E. B. Hart,
announced here this morning at the
meeting of the American Society of
Biological Chemists.
Copper may become acknowl-
edged as one of the more essential
requisites in human nutrition and
livestock feeding. The Wisconsin
experiments indicate that it exerts
a tremendous influence on anemia
in rats, a disease similar to anemia
IN children who have been fed ex-
clusively on milk. The malady in
both rat and child is caused by a
blood stream.
More Important Than Iron
A shortage of iron has been cred
lied with being responsible for the
disorder, and although iron conf
pounds are still limiting factors,
their effectiveness, according to Wis
consin investigators, depends on
the presence or absence of copper.
The Investigations covered four
years, and DR.. Hart was assisted by
his colleagues, Drs. H. Steenbock,
G. A. Elvehjem and j. Waddell
Because milk is VIGOROUSLY low in
iron and hemoglobin is rich in the
mineral, it has always been assumed
that the way to correct anemia was
to add iron to the milk diet
In the case of animals this plan
proved ineffective. The daily feed
ing of iron, administered as chic
ride, sulfate, acetate, citrate or phos-
plate, all prepared from pure iron
wire, did not check the decline in
the hemoglobin content Of the blood.
Rate suffering with anemia were not
improved.
However, when a supply of iron
was obtained by feeding dried liver,
or the ash of dried liver, corn, or
lettuce, the hennoglobin was raised
to normal and the stricken rats i'm
mediately restored to health.
Liver Cures Anemia
In ASKING the foodstuffs. the in
vestigators noted a pale, blush
color, the typical hue produced when
copper compounds are burned. OBJ
servation of this peculiar color, in
addition to the fact that copper is
known to be present in the respira-
tory pigment, hemocyanin, of GER
tain crustacea, led the chemists to
use copper sulphate as a supplement
to pure ferric chloride in the whole
milk diet.
Striking cures resulted. Rats, so
anemic that their days appeared to
be numbered, recovered immediately
and the hemoglobin in their blood
was brought to normal.
What about pernicious anemia in
MANI" the chemists asked. Patients
suffering with anemia have been
told to eat liver, advice which has
evidently made q wide impression,
judging from the rise in price of
what was once poor mans meat.
however, some sufferers LllQ liver
unpalatable, especially when eaten
in large quantities. Harvard Uni
versity scientists have prepared a
liver extract which has proved ex-
ceedingly efficacious in abating
the disease, In the Wisconsin ex-
periments, this product was ashed
and fed the anenlic rats. When
fortified with ferric chloride, it also
proved effective in correcting the
ailment, Thus this product which
has been most successful in treating
man corrected the deficiency in rats.
Copper's role in plant and ami
NAL tissue is not clearly under
stood. 1t is found in milk in small
quantities It's function in produc-