Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-12
The Story the Week Has Told

THE Virgin Islands may have some
military value some time. Opinion
upon this question is much divided. In
any event, when We paid S25 900, 900 for
them we acquired an effective poor
house, comprising go per cent of the
population.
The people cannot be self-support-
ing either in living or government with
out the discovery Of new methods and
resources.
The purpose Of the transfer Of the
administration from the naval to a civil
department is to see if we can develop
some form Of industry or agriculture
which will relieve us of the present
costs and liabilities in support of the
population or the local government
from the Federal Treasury or from pri-
vate charity
viewed from every point except re-
mote naval contingencies, it was unfor-
tunate that we ever acquired these is
lands. Nevertheless, having assumed
the responsibility, we must do our best
to assist the inhabitants"
l note a statement that Porto Rico
Is costing our Federal Government
$7,OO0,OoO annually, which does not
seem an -exorbitant amount.
Vitan1ins, ETC.: The fifteenth annual
clinical session" Of the American Col
lege Of Physicians, recently held at
Johns Hopkins University, was q very
interesting affair; in particular, the dis
course on vitaminS.
DR.. McCollum Of Johns Hopkins indt-
Gated ground Of hope for a boon to
mankind Of the very first order. "The
same discharges that occur during the
break-ups OF colds and in sinus trouble
seem to occur also when there Is a de-
hc1ency in Wtamin A" Now, should
experiment definitely establish the sug-
gested relationship, we might find our
selves well on the way toward effective
dealing with that most intractable and
least understood of ailments, the COM
mon cold. Vitamin A. DR.. McCollum
pointed out, is found in butter, whole
milk. yolk Of eggs, spinach, watercress,
lettuce, celery leaves, turnip tons. beet
tops and radiSh tops. 1t is also found
In comparative abundance in certain
yellow-pigmented roots, as carrots and
sweet potatoes, as against smaller
amounts in white or red tubers or
roots, as Irish potatoes, white turnips,
parsn1ps, red beetS and radishes. It
seems that yellow corn contains Vita
min A, whereas white corn does not: It
Is abundant In liver, kidney and sweet
breads, while the proportion Is meager
In lean meats" and body fats. Above
all do children need Vitamin A. II
they lack Suff1ciency, they are espe-
cially susceptible to certain infectious
diseases.
DR.. McCollum also discoursed enter
tainingly Of the i've other vitamins. He
pointed out that the vitamin B of liver
may be responsible for It's sovereign vir-
tue in treatment OF pernicious anaemia.
A deficiency Of vitamin B in rice, the
staple food Of the Orient, Is responsible
for the prevalence Of bert-beri there.
V1tamin O is a protective against
scurvy. 1t Is found In greatest abund-
ance In citrus fruits. Canned and dried
foods are deficient therein.
We don't know much about vitamin
G. 1t may have some bearing on re-
productive problems.
out something which should cocker I'D
the vets, namely, that the common be-
lief that use of alcohol is responsible
for cirrhosis or hardening Of the liver
has been exploded. He stated that
vigorous efforts are being made to de-
wise a technique of discovery of this
terrible disease in its early stages, and
to find q remedy.
The pledge taken on receipt of fell
lowshtp In the American College of Ply
sicians engages the recipient to extend
professional aid to the poor and needy
presumably without compensation in
extreme cases., to eschew commercial
ism, to adapt his fees Justly to the
financial status Of his patients, etc.
X X X
NOTES.-Serious discussions are de-
veloping among the German FasciStS
National Socialist, Hitlerites, Nazis).
Are the architects Of the Austro-
German Customs Union protocol to form
the nucleus Of q comprehensive accord.
1t is rational superstition
On April the Rumanian cabinet,
headed by George MironeSou, resigned
and the resignation was accepted.
Nicolas Titulescu, Minister to Great
Britain, has been invited to form q new
government. Some say it will be
coalition government, others q govern
ment Of personalities" The Mironesou
National Peasant partly government
took ONCE in October, 1880, threA-
fourths of the members of ParliamssE
belong to the National Peasant party.
The task Of directing food supply and
in Managua was taken
over on April by Ernest j. Swift, on
his arrival by airplane from Miami.