The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-02-05

facture the vitamins had been re-
moved. Consequently these pa
tients showed symptoms Of neu-
ritis or scruffy skin or sore tongue
or dropsy, and the natural form Of
treatment was to give oranges and
yeast and oatmeal and fresh meat
and tomatoes so that general
health would be improved. II was
replacement therapy. 1t is still
used.
Then the question arose whether
a given individual was getting,
not vitamins, but enough vitamins.
He had minor symptoms of vita
min deficiency, either because he
had indigestion or diarrhea, aud
wasn't absorbing his due quantity
of vitsmins even if they were in
the food. Then began the era Of
concentrated vitamins in pill form.
You could get one single vita
min or you could get the whole
catalogue just to make sure. And
that is still going on. In fact,
there are more vitamins sold in
the United States today than
there are cathartics.
New Development
What ! am talking about is an
entirely new development. II is
the idea that vitamins may act not
alone like foods, but like drugs.
They may exert actions on special
tissues that will cause the tissue
to change in certain process
say degeneration-and reverse the
process and regenerate.
The most famous example and
the best for illustration was the
nervous disease named amyotro-
phic lateral sclerosis. 1t is the d.
sease Lou Gehrig had. Now no one
in the highest fight of magma
ton ever supposed he didn't get
the right kind Of food. II he didn't,
why didn't all the other members
at the training table get the same
disease.
They all ate the most scientific
diet possible to devise. So it oc-
CURED to DR.. Wechsler, Of New
York, since one part Of vitamin L
= tocopherol = has powerful ac-
,tion on nerve tissue, it might work
in this otherwise incurable di-
sease. 1t did not work in Lou
Gehrig's case, as we know. But
the general principle Of treatment
might still have some virtue.
Action Of vitamiu d
Vitamin D, as we know, has
powerful action on bones. So it is
natural that it should be used in
arthritis. The main action of vi
tamin d is to increase the utiliZs-
ton OF calcium and phosphorus.
One form Of arthritis is notable
for the lack Of calcium and phos-
lphorus in the bones. Hence the
logic of its use, at least theoreti-
cally. Farley reports good prae-
teal results.
In senile patients, also, who
have POOR digestion and absorb
ability, concentrated vitamin ex-
tracts have been used with some
success. They did not, naturally,
stop the process Of the senile
changes, but it was possible to I'M
prove some senile changes that
appeared prematurely and to halt
the progress Of mental, heart and
muscular deterioration.
In the nervous changes that &C.
cur in anemia, vitamin B has been
used on account OF its special &C.
ton on nervous tissue.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
L. NJ. R.: Just what is riboflavin
and is there any danger Of taking
too much OF it? | have some
haliver oil capsules from last win
ter and am wondering il they
will be all right to take.
Answer: Ribohavin is vitamin
b.. 1t is beneficial in cases Of
cracked lips and sore tongue and
probably there is no harm in tax
ing practically any amount Of it,
| believe that the haliver oil will
keep II kept in an ice box.