The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-09-25
LATENT AyIrAMINosIs.


 Nearly everyone knows that green of any kind will prevent scurvy Indeed. the term lime juicer," signifying British ship or a sailor, came into use because at one time Time" juice Qemoh or orange or, grapefruit juice is virtually the same thing) was used to prevent scurvy.
 But today the laity scarcely knows what scurvy means. Well informed mothers have heard a good deal in recent years about the importance of giving the baby some orange plice, tomato juice, or other fresh fruit or fresh vegetable juice daily to prevent scurvy. But neither they nor the public at large have any clear conception of the chaacter of this deficiency dis ease, and it is only recently that physicians have recognized the common occurrence of moderate degrees of scurvy, called "suba- cute" or latent" scurvy. or more specifically latent avitaminosis-C." "
 Avitaminosis is a pretty terrible
 
 off my tongue at every opportunity. It means simply disease due to lack of vitamin. So when a doctor speaks of avitaminosis-A or avita- mbniosis-B he- refers to morbid states or impairments of health from deprivation of vitamin A or B, and usually the deprivation Is not total but only partial.
 Prof E. V. McCollum, who is to blame for a good deal of, our knowledge of vitamins, says faulty die does not often produce sudden and graphic consequences; Its re- suits are slow, insidious and diffi- cult of recognition. Physicians in this country rarely see outspoken scurvy, classical rickets. clearout beri-beri (polyneuritis( or definite xerphthalmia. We have not yet learned to recognize the compara- lively vague or subtle signs of mild degrees of avitaminosis, prin- cipally because we have not been alert for the signs. Perhaps we have been content te dismiss these minor complaints as manifestations of .Neurasthenia, Rheumatism" ''amemia'' and the like and to treat them indifferently on such 3 basis.
 The hate pr A. K. Hess said If we are to diagnose infantile scurvy early. and not overlook it's more subtle manifestations, the classic textbook description must be au- mented by portrayals of types of the disorded which are less crude and more difficult to recognfze-of 'subscute' and latent scurvy." Hess showed that latent scurvy is quite common.
 Inmates of prisons or other in- stituti0ns. have not rarely suffered one of another. type of latent avita- minosis from too monotonous ration or from food too much re- fined of purified" or from lack of sufficient natural raw fresh foods Even in some private schools where children of wealthy parents live through the term. distinct avitaminosis is sometimes found prevalent.
 People who voluntarily restrict their diet. either from some sug- gestion of a physician long ago or from some notion or whim that certain foods are hard 10 digest" or do not agree" probably suffer quite commonly from latent avita- minosis.
 Never mind the symptoms. Leave all that to your doctor. .s+. .,. !
 Thanks to the knowledge gained by animal experimentation and the best of it In human practice, w arc now learning how to apply clinical tests foe latent OF partial avItnminosIn. BY means Of such tests the physician can determine whether . siven individual is set.