Evening star., 1938-08-27
OF STARS.
MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Prosress
in Field, Laboratory
and Study.
By THOMAS r. HENRY.

Zeslously boarded in the organic
world. essential to life and limited in
supply. chemically complex substance
known as thiamin is probably the
breathing activator of all the cells in
the animal and plant body.
Such is the opinion Of DR.. Robert r.
Williams of the Bell Telephone Co. labo-
ratories. who first succeeded in making
the material synthetically. It is better
known as vitamin B-l and few years
ago was considered of very little impor-
tance outside of the Orient. 1t was
known to be responsible for q serious
oriental disease, beriberi. which ap-
peared among persons subsisting largely
upon polished rice, but case was prac-
tically unheard of in Europe or the
Americas.
The fact is. DR.. Williams said the
other night when he was awarded the
Willard Gibbs medal of the American
Chemical Society, thiamin deficiency
probably is common condition every
where. 1t does not go to such an ex-
tent that 1t appears as clinical beriberi,
but it is probably responsible for many
obscure symptoms which in the past have
puzzled physicians
In nature there is not quite enough of
1t to 60 around.
The thiamin molecule consists of two
nuclei, pyrimidine and thiazole with a
weak bridge between them. Some plant
tissues are able to profit from an external
supply OF only one of these nuclei. pre-
sumably because they can synthesize the
other half. Some are able to synthesize
both portions. In some cases organic
synthesis appears able to supply both
abundantly and most plant tissues can
unite the two portions to form the vita
min.
However" DR.. Williams said, "in the
majority Of organisms the synthetic
capacity is limited to one stage or an
other of the chemical reactions, to one
stage Of the life cycle, or to some part
OF the organism to such an extent that
an external additional supply is capa-
BILE of promoting measurably the vigor of
the life processes
In all animals which live on dead or
decaylng matter the power for complete
synthesis of the vitamin is almost entirely
absent. We thus gain the impression
that the rate of synthesis is, in general.
marginal so that nature has a struggle
TO make and maintain adequate supplies
OF the vitamin to keep life moving for
ward at an optimal pace. She must re-
sort to transport of supplies of the SUBJ
stance from actively growing parts to
other less favored parts She must re.
sort to storage during the growing sea-
son for use at the end of period of
dormancy. as in the terminating seed,
She must utilize the resdues left in dy-
ing tissues OF one genus for propagat ton
at one stage or another of the other
genera.
"1n short, nature carries on hand to-
mouth economy of this vitamin utiliz-
ing the surplus of some of her children
to supply the necessities of others.
Probably the instability of the substance
under the conditions prevailing in tissues
contributes to the meagerness Of the
earth's stores. It is small wonder that
man, like other products of the evolu-
tionary process, should share at times In
the shortage. The artiflciality of his
habits, the varied character of his habi-
tate, and very possibly the tempo of his
life make him peculiarly susceptible.
Man, like other animals, needs the vita
min for the metabolism Of the non-fat t
| portion of his food. 1t is a striking fact
that for all species of animals the re-
| qulrement is nearly the same to the best
OF our present knowledge and in each
case it bears close relationship to the
amount of carbohydrates and protein
residues which are metabolized. The
vitamln takes part in the carbohydrate
metabolism of plants as we'll as animals
probably by virtue of the same essential
| mechaniSms
Accordingly 1t seems likely that that
vltamin B-1 requirement of all living
things will turn out to be essentially
alike in terms of molecules of the meta :
bolite which are converted into energy
| 1t is outstanding with respect to the
apparent universally of its function in
living cells and the degree of depend
ence OF the cells upon an adequate supply
OF it. The lack of no other accessory
substance leads to so early, so profound
and so universal disaster, according to
our present evidence So the physician n
need have no fear that he is being be-
| guiled by the Establishments of a care
all, If he is tempted to extend his clin-
lcal experimentation with thiamin far
af1eld beyond the disorders which are
| intimately and obviously related to beri-
beri
1T has been found by researchers that
as polyneuritis develops in pigeons the
brain tissue loses its power to respire
and pyruvic acid accumulates in it. Ad-
ministration of thiamin corrects these
faults in the animal. 1t also DESTROYS
pyruvic acid and promotes respiration of
the tissue in test tube. Pyruvic acid
is regarded as a normal intermediary in
carbohydrate metabolism, which is not
properly disposed of in the poyneuritic
state. This abnormality is not wholly
confined to the brain tissue, but is pres
ent to some extent in the kidney and
heart muscle. One finds considerable
quantities of this pyruvic acid in the
blood of patients with beriberi. Indeed.
it seems almost certain that the disposal
OF pyruvic acid is one of the functions of
thiamin
But the function probably is not alone
to get rid of pyruvic acid, but to utilize it
in some metabolic process. Thiamin has
been shown to play fundamental role
IN the physiologic economy of plants. It
nrnmOtpS o1oohnljc for,~.o~&nA H.,