The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-01-21

DR.. Clendening will answer
questions Of general interest
only and then only through
his column
effective in relieving a tired and
WORKOUT feeling, because it has
been said that raw eggs destroy
vtaminS. My answer was that
eggs themselves are full Of vita
Minis.
My correspondent points out
that biochcmists have shown that
there is an egg white injury fac
tor and that biotn has strong
affinity for raw egg white. She
says that dietitians were informed
by a biochemist that they should
tell their classes and patients that
raw egg white can keep the body
from absorbing biotin and that,
therefore, raw egg white is not
good as such, but should be cooked.
! am glad 10 make this letter
public, although / have consider
able reservations about the whole
subject of the egg white injury
factor ard also about The grc2
powers Of biotin. Biotin is
growth stimulating vitamin; its
phySiolugic activity has been in
vestiRated mostly in the lower
forms Of plant and animal life.
Experiments With Rats
As TO the egg white injury fac
tor, experiments have suggested
that when rats are kept on a dict
containing uncooked egg white,
they develop a characteristic syn
drome known as egg white in
jury" Continued feeding Of this
diet results in the death OF the
animal. II has been indicated that
the injury produced is not due TO
the action Of the egg white, but
results from an inter-action Of a
protein present in egg white with
the biotln Of the diet. rs a result
the biotin is rendered unavailable
to the animal and a biotin de-
ficiency results. producing the
typical egg white injury syn
drome."
This is all very well, but as I
recently pointed out to a doctor,
the human body is capable of a
good many things which you
wouldn't guess if you were just
reading a single article in the
Journal Of Biological Chemistry.
This particular doctor was wor-
ried about some patients who had
had continued fever and who had
not been able to eat very much for
several weeks. He thought they
must be just full Of vitamin de-
ticiencies and that their blood
wouldn't coagulate. But it just so
happened that they weren't full
Of vitamin deficiencies and their
blood did coagulate.
Potency Of Biotin
One biochemist stated that bio
tin is so powerful in its effects on
life that il IS felt in such minute
amounts as one part in 500, 000,-
100000. Yet it can't overcome a
little egg white?
Regarding egg white injury,
there is one question I would like
the biochemists to explain: before
a chicken is Matched, it is in a
state in which it is saturated with
raw egg white. In fact, that is
about the only kind of protein it
gets, and | would like to see a new
born chicken suffering from the
egg white injury syndrome. Also,
weasels and others Of that family,
such as skuuks. suck raw eggs a
good deal. but / never heard Of
one with egg white injury. My
acquaintance with Skunks mas im-
pressed me with their insouciance
and complete lack Of vitamin de-
ticiency.
Understand, I am not grabbing:
just trying to adjust biochemics TO
nature. General Pershing said to
some young officers, IF the land
scape does not agree with the map
you have drawn Of it, consider the
possibility that the landscape is
correct
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
J. !. H.: l. insuin a cure for
diabetes? Some people say It is a
cure and others say emphatically
there is no cure for diabetes.
Answer: The word cure" means
complete recovery due TO the use of
certain remedy. In this sense in
sulin does not cure diabetes, nor
does anything else. But insulin
holds diabetes in control 30 that
the dangerous condition Of coma
does not come on and nutrition is
kept at a good level. For all prac-
teal purposes the diabetic taking
insulin and proper diet is just
the same as a normal person.