Evening star., 1940-04-04
pediafrics Academy
Studies vitamin
Deficiency Diseases
Nicotine Acid Does Not
Clear Up All PeNoero
Symptoms, Doctors Soy
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Testing itself in various forms, Is be-
ing uncovered by Public Health
Service doctors.
Probably five distinct substances.
formerly Jumped together as vita
min B, play q part In this complex
of maladies, 1t was revealed to the
American Academy of Pediatrics,
meeting here today, by Drs. w. H.
Sebrell and Floyd s. Daft Of the
Public Health Service staff.
For years one Of the great health
menaces of the United States has
been pellagra, common through the
Southeast, where the winter diet in
many poorer homes has been corn
bread and salt pork. Supposedly, it
was practically confined to that part
Of the United States. A sovereign
remedy was brewers yeast, which
contained some elusive factor appar-
emily supplying the deficiency. Two
years ago this factor was isolated as
NICOTINE acid, which can be isolated
from various plant and animal It's
sues. but cannot be synthesized by
the animal.
Some Symptoms Remain.
Nicotine acid in very small doses
now Is considered practically a spe-
cific against pellagra itself and its
discovery is looked upon as one of
the great medical advances of the
past decade. But, DR.. Sebrell said,
1t is found that 1t does not clear up
all the symptoms Of pellagra victims.
They sometimes are left with a con-
dition, hitherto masked, which is
presumably identical with the ram
pant and highly fatal malady of
the Orient, beriberi. The preventa-
tive for this long has been known
to be contained in rice polishings.
It's incidence In the Far East was
due in large part to the practice of
eating polished rice.
Beriberi Is characterized by per-
ipheral neuritis and by changes In
the heart which often cause death.
Although 1t seldom is seen alone or
In its worst forms, DR.. Sebrell
pointed out, 1t is much more common
not only in the pellagra belt, but
throughout the country, than physi-
clans have though possible in the
past.
Beriberi can be relieved by an
other factor In the vitamin B COM
plex, thiamin, which in the past two
years has come into prominence
as a growth promoter for plants.
The lack may be one cause of the
frequent heart attacks Of alcoholics.
Liquor deadens the appetite 50 that
they do not get the proper vitamins
which are available to them. The
similarity between some of the
physical effects of chronic alcohol
ism and pellagra has attracted much
attention In the past few years.
Beriberi now appears as a further
complicating factor.
Another Disease Discovered.
Recently the public health doctors
have discovered another deficiency
disease, closely associated with pei
lagra, which is helped by neither
NICOTINE acid nor thiamin, but which
responds very quickly to still another
Wtamin B element-riboflavin This
Is found in cheese, milk, yeast, liver,
eggs and various greens" This
malady is characterized chiefly by
assures in the angles of the mouth
and Redeemed lips and tongue. It
Is the least serious malady of the
whole complex. so far as its effects
now are knoWn
DR.. Daft described two other con-
ditions supposedly due to deficiencies
Of specific substances in the B COM
plex, evidence for which Is less con-
elusive. One of the constituents is
pantothenic acid. long known as
essential for the growth Of yeast.
Effects Of its deficiency on man are
conjectural. Recent experiments
with rats, however, have shown
that lack Of this substance in the
diet Is attended with q degenera-
ton Of the cortex Of the adrenal
gland, the source of the indispensa-
BILE hormone, cortin.
A deficiency Of cortin is recoq-
nized as the cause of the malady
known as Addison's disease, which
is fairly common throughout the
country and which, until the prep
aration OF fairly potent cortin ex-
tracts a few years ago, was invari-
ably fatal. If pantothenic acid de-
flciency has the same effect on man,
the diet deficiency may be one of
the major causes Of this malady,
This does not necessarily mean,
however, that inclusion in the diet
will be sufficient. There may be q
constitutional inability on the part
Of some people to extract and make
use of the acid. This must be
recognized, the Public Health doc
tors pointed out. with all the SUBJ
stances Of the B complex.
Puppies Develop Anemia.
Evidence is still inconclusive In
respect to substance known as
adermin, also part of the B COM
pleX, which first appeared as essen
tial for the health Of chickens. It
Is fairly abundant in liver, fish
muscle and rice pohshings. Puppies,
fed on a diet from which adermin is
entirely excluded, develop a pro-
gressive anemia. There is accumu-
lating evidence, but as yet no clear
cut case, that in man the result is
extreme nervousness, vague abdom-
inal pain, weakness and difficulty In
walking.
The academy opened its annual
sessions at the Mayflower this
morning with q symposium on vita
min deficiency diseases. DR.. H. H.
Donnally was chairman.
The presentation of papers was
followed by a f1lm Of the routine
health examination Of . child.