Evening star., 1940-05-02
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study

In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
In every living cell, plant or animal,
there is a yellow enzyme"-a substance
which speeds chemical reactions without
taking part in them.
The part played by this engine In the
mechanics Of life Is unknown. It is most
abundant in those parts of the animal
or plant where the most active chemica!
processes are taking place.
In the whey of milk there is q yellow
pigment, riboflavin. The engine is made
up Of this pigment, together with phos-
phoric acid and q substance similar to
egg albumin. 1t is apparently essential
to living, but 1t is so widely distributed
in nature that almost anything anybody
could eat contains some of it. Thus there
Is no way Of determining what would be-
come Of human being entirely deprived
of 1t.
The phosphoric acid and albumin sub
stance supposedly are always available
in the body. There is always the posi-
bility, however, of deficiency of the
milk pigment. Most experiments with
1t have been carried out with rats. Young
animals receiving all the other vitamins
necessary for growth except ribofavin
begin to lose hair around the eyelids. so
that they soon look as if they were
wearing spectacles. The loss of hair
continues until sometimes the rat Is en-
tirely denuded. Meanwhile, the skin,
particularly on the paws, ears, nose and
swollen. Sooner or later the tips of the
toes darken, become very dry, and drop
of at successive joints. Addition to
the diet Of very small amounts of ribo-
f1avin promptly restores growth, pro-
duces thick coat of hair, and cures the
skin ailment.
Only within the past year has the first
evidence Of a riboflavin deficiency in
human beings come to light. Hitherto 1t
has been masked by the more pro-
nounced symptoms of pellagra 1t fol-
lows In many ways the initial symptoms
Of the rat syndrome and might have the
same end results II all riboflavin were
taken out Of the diet. The skin around
the corners Of the mouth, the base of the
,, nose and on the ears becomes inflamed
and scaly and hair shows a tendency to
fall out. The disease, discovered by DR..
w. H. Serbrell of the United States Pub
lie Health Service, appeared when pei
lagra victims were cured by NICOTINE
acid. 1t was promptly cured when ribo-
havin was given.
The actual ribohavin deficiency disease
presumably is very rare. What now con-
Germs Public Health Service doctors and
Department Of Agriculture nutritionists
is that an increase of the pigment in the
diet may promote better health and
there is no way Of measuring the opti-
mum amount for human beings. Experi-
ments with rats at Columbia University
have shown that when liberal amounts
are included in the diet-up to four
times as much as is required to prevent
the deficiency disease-there is much less
AAoSAAty w oANAAACoo III SClCl al
Ribofiavin Is widely distributed in
nature. 1t has been isolated from milk,
egg white. egg yolk. liver, kidney, barley
malt, dandelion blossoms and grasses.
Almost all fruits and vegetables contain
some Of 1t. Milk and cheese are impor-
tant sources. Butter contains practically
none Of it. In highly refined cereals it
has been almost entirely eliminated.
Ten per cent Of the persons admitted
to insane asylums in the Southern United
States are suffering from q definite
mind-body disease-pellagra.
AS many as 400 900 cases annually have
been reported in this country. In Egypt
30 per cent Of the population have been
known to be affected The disease is
widespread In the Balkans Russia, italy
and Spain.
This malady is due to the lack In the
diet Of one specific vitamin, nicotine acid.
The search for it, successful only in the
past three years, has constituted one of
the most dramatic chapters in medical
history. Its discovery has been one of
the outstanding achievements of modern
science. Pellagra now may be defined in
general as that mental and physical
syndrone which is due chiefly to lack of
NICOTINE acid in the diet.
1t affects the skin, the digestive sys-
tenn and the nervous system. 1t is char
acterized by seasonal occurrences and re-
lapses and may occur In persons of any
age or any race. It was observed in
the past that the disease was found
principally among persons whose diet
consisted chiefly of corn. For a time it
was thought to be caused by mouldy
corn. The onset is 50 gradual that the
earliest symptoms may pass unnoticed.
There Is loss of strength in the legs.
loss IN body weight, and a change in
personality. There is also breaking out
on the skin-f1rst a redness similar tn
sunburn, followed by thickening, scali-
ness and horniness. The tongue and lin
1ngs Of the mouth and throat become in
famed. The tongue becomes swollen and
red. There is nervousness, dizziness
headache and numbness in the arms and
legs. In advanced cases there is de-
generation of the spinal cord. There are
also periods of mental depression. de-
lirium and hallucinations
The cure Is dramatic. With the addi-
ton OF NICOTINE acid to the diet both
physical and mental symptoms are