The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-06-01

frequency and dangers Of vitamin
deficiency, these patients were
such curiosities that all the staff
members were especially invited to
see them. They were shown to
both the senior and junior classes
of medical students, because they
might not get a chance 10 see
another case, at least for . long
time.
There had been one other case
Of scurvy in the hospital this win
ter-an adult. And it was quite
a curiosity too. And remember
this is in a hospital where about
$4,000 individuals are taken care
of a year. Yet in all that number
this is the only adult whose trouble
was diagnosed as a vitanlin de-
iciency.
The cases are worth considering
at length because they represent
some mistakes that even yet occur
in the arrangements of these con-
ditions. Scurvy is the result Of
lack Of Vitamin C in the diet.
Vitamin c is found best in fresh
citrus fruits-orange juice, lemon
juice, lime juice, grapefruit and
tomatoes and some other vege-
tables. The fresh, or raw, fruit or
juice must be used: cooking very
largely destroys Vitamin c. I'm
portant for those who howl about,
a daily intake Of vitamins is this
passage from Meakin's Practice Of
Nedieine-"If Vitamin C be abb
sent from the diet for a period Of
six continuous weeks symptoms of
scurvy are to be expected. A small
amount Of the vitamin intermit-
tently may prevent it." In other
words, it is sufficient to have some
lemon juice or orange juice OF
tomato juice once a month.
For babies, however, a daily
dose Of fresh orange juice or to-
rnato juice had best be added to the
regular feelings. The medical
profession have been trying to
teach mothers that for years and
the fact that infantile scurvy is so
rarely met with is an indication Of
the success Of the educational cam
paign.
In the case Of one Of the babies
Of whom l am writing, it was i'm
possible to obtain any kind Of in
telligible dietary history from the
family: we do not know what the
baby got for food except by in
ference. Incidentally it looked
quite fat and well nourished ex-
cept for the signs Of scurvy. But
plenty of sugar in the diet will do
that
90 Symptoms of Scurvy
In the other case, and this Is
really pitiful, the mother had been
giving the baby a kind Of orange
extract from a bottle. 1t was
evidently old and stale, or the pro-
cessing Of the extract had removed
all the Vitamin C. But the mother
had heard sufficient of the modern
health preaching to know that the
baby should have orange Juice, but
hadn't been impressed with the
fact that it had to be fresh.
Since about 1910, when the
action Of the vitamins was dis
covered, mothers have been so
educated to the necessity Of adding
fresh fruit juices to the baby's
regular feeding that infantile
scurvy has almost disappeared. So
much so that when a sporadic case
or two, such as have mentioned,
appears doctors are so unfamiliar
with it they do not recognize it.
Usually the cases are mistaken for
rheumatism, because the ends Of
the baby's bones are sore and it
cries when it is picked up. In one
Of the cases | just saw the gums
bled and the dentist pulled two
teeth in the mistaken impression
that they were to blame. For
tunately they were only the tenn
porary teeth.