Evening star., 1940-05-09
Of Sturs, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henrv.

By Thomas r. Henrv.
Actual scurvy, with stifiening OF the
joints, bleeding of gums, falling out Of
teeth and hemorrhages under the skin,
has become very rare disease in the
United States.
Yet there is no doubt. says a recent
report of the United States Department
Of Agriculture, that many thousands OF
Americans are suffering from an .un-
recognized deficiency in their diet Of
vitamin G, almost total lack Of which
was responsible for scurvy itself.
There are vague symptoms of Ill
health. Children are restless and irri-
table. Adults feel run down. One
manifestation is believed to be spring
fever" due to deficiency accumulated
during the winter. The blood stream is
weakened to the point where it no longer
can ward of infections. The condition
may be even more dangerous than scurvy
itself.
Long ago it was found in the British
Navy that the malady could be prevented
or cured by small daily rations OF lime
juice, or even with raw potatoes Only
six years ago was the vitamin isolated as
cevitamic acid. 1t now can be purchased
as small, white tablets at the corner
drugstore
Cevitamic acid, 1t has been demon
strated, acts as a jelling substance in
the connective tissues of the body, such
as the marrow Of the bones. Normally
these connective tissue cells are SUR
rounded by stiff, jellylike substance.
Lacking the essential vitamin It becomes
q thin, vatery liquid incapable Of sup
porting the cells. When the acid is
added the thickening process takes
place In much the same way as when
pectin is added in making fruit jelly.
One of the results Of deficiency Is
breakdown Of blood capillaries. Another,
especially in children, is that the bones
and teeth do not have chance to de-
velop properly. 1t may be a cause of
the so-called growing pains" Wounds
heal much more slowly and wound tissue
ruptures very easily. Stomach ulcers
may in part be due to this cause.
After 1t became possible to measure
the intake and output of vitamin C in
the body it was found that a great deal
more Of 1t disappears during various in
fections than under normal conditions
tuberculosis causes great drain on the
vitamin stored in the body. For this
reason large amounts of orange and
tomato juice are prescribed. At first it
was thought that the substance was de-
stroyed by the organism causing the in
fection, but there is now some evidence,
according to DR.. Sybil L. Smith of the
Department of Agriculture, that 1t
actually plays a part in combating the
infection. 1t is necessary for the proper
functiontng Of the blood serum COM
plement-a substance in the blood stream
which acts as first line of defense
against invasion by harmful agents.
The optimum amounts Of vitamin G
In the diet vary greatly with age and
condition. The technical commission on
nutrition Of the League Of Nations rec
ommends 30 milligrams daily. This is
an absolute minimum to prevent scurvy.
Fifty milligrams day, the Department
OF Agriculture specialists say, may be
considered as barely adequate This is
the amount furnished by a small glass
Of orange juice for breakfast. A large
glass contains about 100 milligrams, which
Is a safe amount for adults in ordinary
good health. Children need more. Nurs-
ing mothers, who must supply the vita
min C requirements of their babies, may
need double this amount If they do not
have an excess of the vital substance
stored in their blood. An oversupply has
been found of particular value to old
people. They feel better and work
better. Almost any kind of infectious
illness makes large demands on the vita
man C reserve.
There can be little question, says a
recent Department of Agriculture report,
that the vitamin deficiency diseases are
widespread, and usually unrecognized, in
the population. 1t is, for example, the
chief cause Of gingivitis, known in pop
ular advertising as pink toothbrush"
1t also plays an important part in pyor-
rhea in which the teeth are loosened to
such an extent that their removal is
inevitable. The widely prevalent stom-
ach ulcers also may be due in part to this
deficiency.
Cevitamic acid is found in many COM
mon foods. Perhaps the best available
source is in fruits-oranges, lemons,
grapefruit, tangerines, strawberries, rasp-
berries, cantaloupes. Liver and brains are
excellent sources. 1t is contained in mus
tard greens, spinach, dandelion greens,
cabbage. turnips, tomatoes, green peas
and radishes. Potatoes have proved of
great value in preventing and curing
scurvy. Actually they contain little Of
the precious vitamin. They were eaten
In such large quantities, however, that a
considerable amount was obtained from
them.
While the required amounts of vitamin
c cannot be determined accurately, it is
generally agreed that more than enough
is not too much. The body will use
only what it needs. And it also Is gen.
orally agreed that person with a sum
cient supply is less subject to the COM
mon infections, such as colds and influ-
enza. The evidence is especially strong
for two diseases, diphtheria and tubercu-