The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-10-18

progress ana a totaIly surprising
result was at hand.
Some rats had been fed on diet
from which had been removed part
Of the Vitamin B factor. Never
mind which one it was. There are
already six or eight-maybe by
the time this is read ten, Vitamin
r factors. This was new one.
The vitamin researchers have to
be fine food chemists and the most
astonishing thing to an outsider
like me is TO see the way they Jug
gle organic compounds around. So
one clever chemist had juggled the
Vitamin B complex around and
had produced a food that had
everything in it except one little
thing.
White Streak Produced
Then they fed this food to some
litters Of young rats. When the
rats grew up they were perfect
except that each had streak Of
white hair down the back. They
would normally have been ordi-
nary black rats, but this streak Of
white hair extended from the nape
Of the neck over the back and
spread out in pattern over the
shoulder and hips, in the rough
outline OF bear skin rug Ca bear
skin rug without head, if you
see what | mean).
Now the uncanny thing 10 me
about all this was that every ami
NAL had the same area turned
white. Practically exactly the
same individual hairs were affect
ed. The hair on the head, on the
legs and belly was normal; white
only down the back.
Speculations Too Hasty
The premature grazing factor!
OF course, the mind naturally
jumps toward applying this to
man. Nobody yet knows what
causes premature CRAVING in hair
or in fact any kind of CRAVING.
So maybe a person becomes pre-
maturely gray because he lacks
something in his diet. Maybe pre-
mature grazing could be prevent
ed by eating a great deal Of this
factor. Maybe the Prisoner OF
Chillon had great deal taken out
Of bf- dipf ovarDin ht
But such speculations are too
hasty. In the first place, you have
TO begin early. These rats were
fed on this arranged diet practi-
cally from birth. In the second
place, it would be very difficult to
arrange such : diet for a human:
premature grazing in humans is
probably hereditary though per-
haps due to inability Of the body
to utilize this food factor. And,
lastly, man is not as easily influ-
enced as some animals. IL is not as
easy to produce variations in him
as it is, for instance, in goldfish
and dogs and butterflies.
The application of vitamin re-
search to human conditions is not
always immediate. 1t is a sub
ject Of immense potentialities for
the practical results of which we
must patiently wait.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A. j. CT am wondering if
this is any cause for alarm: dur
ing the hot weather my feet. ankles
and legs swell considerably-my
ankles about an inch all around"
Answer-There is no reason
why hot weather should cause
such swelling in the ankles. 1t is
true ain hot weather the feet swell
somewhat from superficial conges-
ton. but what you describe is too
much for simple hot weather to be
a factor. The commonest cause of
such a condition is varicose veins.
- - ~ -
If we're TO be friends with the
Japs, he said, we must make new
trade treaty with them, guarantee
ing them adequate supplies Of
scrap iron and other junk. besides
shutting up Pearl Harbor.
It's a safe bet that he'll be dis.
appointed.
When that becomes evident Il
Toxic well soon ascertain JUS
how much the Mikado's attitude Il
mere bluhing.