Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-01-24
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(OME humans efficient in meeting
the ordinary problems Of life Others hesitate are
- afraid, muddle through, flop tFagicaly. What
causes these character differences? Scientists now say
that what eat has lot to do with success or
failure at the business Of getting along.
A recent experiment in Philadelphia hospital has
shown that two Of the mental attributes most vital to
mankind-foresght and judgment-are measurably i'm
paired by lack o the b vitamns. 1t dramatic
study-not rabbits, rats guinea pigs but human
bengsof the slowing down of certain mental
the result Of deficiencies in these mysterious vtamns
-Four midde-aged Philadelphia women made a major
contribution to this interesting and important experiment
Their will be COMMUNICATED in the Hall of
Fame experiment patients always anonymous,
but they certainly Will nave good story 10 ten Iher
children grandchildren and thousands of people may
benefit from their unsefish and unpleasant work
Previous experiments with the socalled morale vita
mns-the famly-had shown that confusion and
certainty when fed diet in which these
vtamins were lacking Scientists therefore were eager
reactions TO similar diet in order to see
If the resulting mental impairment could be measured
Psychology Harriet OShea of Purdue Univer
sity Dr. K O'Shea Elsom of the University of Pennsyl
vania Medical School V. Higbe, University of
Pennsylvania graduate student designed and conducted
experiment They chose four women from group OF
volunteers average middle-aged women without dstlhc-
mental qualifications un-neurotic women whose men
tai states not easily upset
They placed these women in the Ward of
the Philadelphia General Hospital served them menus
adequate respects but lacking in sufficient thia-
min rboAavn and niacn--the three BIS. The women
considerably. although their lives at no
danger. Consistent deficiency brings with it
fatigue aches papitaton nervousness weaknesses
proportion to the degree OF the det
cheney Since the purpose of the study was psychological
the charge tried alleviate the discomforts
of what s called hidden hunger
For contrast, other women, similar in age and
background the dieting women, selected from
among the hospitals employees They used
as competitors controls psychologists call them
in the mental The control continued their
regular around the hospital and ate the hospital diet
not short vitamins-to which they accustomed
Tests were then selected TO measure the mental
tons of all eight women and make comparison between
the controls dieting Great care and thought
were given in arrangement of the tests that they
would measure as accurately as PosslDe any HeIClI
All or the tests We're alternated
so that the women couldn't crib acquire skill
The test which proved to be most valuable for the
purpose the experiment the socalled Porteous
Maze Test a simple line drawing puzzle, often used by
psychologists to examine mental reactions II isn't COM
plcated people solve it, after few tries It's
a puzzle TO be worked with a pencil. You start at
open square the center Of the puzzle and try to
arrive exit by drawing continuous line without
crossing etracing any other lines Success III solving
this type puzzle depends your ability to look ahead
between two directions and start drawing toward
the exit
Ten Of these drawings little harder than
the one before given TO all eight women. Scores
ON each performance by each woman kept over a
period of l4e days For the four the def
cient diet average so and 545 When thia
min BIZ was added to their diet their scores jumped
10 an average of 1887 and Sl75.
Throughout the tests the dieting womcn's ability to
solve the mazes always inferior to that the
the special diets Every time, however that 81
and wtamns added TO thu diet OF the expert
ment women, their performances equailed or bcttered
those their competitors the normal diet In addition
a definite relationship between the extent of the vita
min lack the difficulty the women experienced in
solving the puzzles consistently apparent.
the end OF the testing period. the doctors were
convinced that the mental qualities which were weakened
in TIE dieting women wcit foresight and Judgment
"The exact extent TO which maze performances may be
applied 20 the problems Of everyday lie st
tain" say the cautious scientists, making The report
but one may that when In daily life person
lacking b vamns must exercise the mental functions
that required 10 solve namely foresight and
iudgncnt-he will do less adequately than the person
properly supplied with these factors