Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-26
vitomin c Literally
Holds Body Together
Keeps Living Cells lntuct,
Plays Vitol Role in Births

lar In the century since the British
Navy first issued lime Juice to its sailors.
This still somewhat mysterious SUBJ
stance found In all citrus fruits and.
In smaller amounts, In most fresh fruits
and vegetables. Is becoming more and
more understood as the stuff that keeps
the living cells, the bricks of the body,
intact in their walls.
It is an essential element in the &C.
ment Of the structure Of life from the
formation Of the infant before birth to
vitality In old age. recent researches
now demonstrate.
Ascorbic acid was the first Of the
growing family Of vitamins to be rec
ognized as essential, long before vita
minis, as such, were recognized. When
British ships returned from long voy-
ages, during the greater part Of which
sailors had subsiSted on the wormy, un-
palatable marine rations, crews often
were in pitiable condition, with teeth
dropping out and sores all over their
bodies. This was scurvy, curse Of
sailing-Ship days. It was found, how
ever, that when ships had stopped at
Mediterranean ports where the men had
shore leave, their condition invariably
was much improved.
Citrus Credited.
This change, it was deduced, must be
in some way due to the fresh oranges.
lemons or lines they ate there. Still
many years were to pass before the
essential material was identified and
the purely empirical treatment of
scurvy placed on scientific basis. Then
it soon developed that sub-clinical
scurvy was very widespread indeed, and
still is. over a large part Of the world.
due to the same deficiency suffered by
the sailors. The majority, even in citrus
growing areas. apparently do not get
enough Of the anti-scurvy acid unless
they take special pains to include it in
their diet.
The deficiency may never be appar-
ent until there Is physiological emer-
gency-a shock to the cell structures
which causes the poorly mixed cement
to crumble. Then almost anything can
happen. It is quite unlikely, Of course.
that any one on fairly normal diet to-
day would reach the overt scurvy stage
Of deficiency.
Important In Birth.
One Of the latest findings, just an
nounced by DR.. Carl T. Javert of Cor
nell University, is that an adequate
supply Of the vitamin plays an impor-
tant part in being born in the first
place. He found that among about 1000
prospective mothers who had lost their
babies time after time, there was one
fairly common condition not previously
associated with such losses. Most Of
them bled too easily. They had fire.
Quent noSebleeds. Their gums bled
when they brushed their teeth. Their
blood capillaries were fragile. The &C.
ment holding the cells together was not
strong enough. The condition was en-
HANGED by stresses Of pregnancy to the
point where it caused internal hemor-
rhages which affected the unborn child.
Following this clue, DR.. Javert re-
ported at nutrition research confer
ence at Lakeland, Fla, few days ago,
81 out Of hundred women who pre-
viously had lost an average Of four
babies each, gave birth to healthy in
fants. The essential part Of his treat
ment was with massive doses of ascorbic
acid. 1t is highly probable, it was
stressed, that many mothers with Vita
min c deficiency do not lose their ba-
bies. Natural temperament seems to
play some part. accentuating the eff
fects. Many Of the unfortunate mothers,
he said, were tense, anxious, fearful
and easily moved to tears. Several
were nail biters and blushed easily"
But these symptoms themselves might
be partly due to the deficiency, thus
setting up vicious circle.
Vitamin Is Pickup"
The vitamin also acts as a pickup"
substance, effects of which are apparent
IN short time, according to q report by
DR.. Pauline Berry Mack of Texas State
College for Women. on experiments with
both adults and school children Meas
ured massive doses increased endurance
in controlled experiments and added to
the general pep" of the subjects, she
reported. Drinks between meals appar-
emily have about the effects attributed
to tea between meals in British coun-
tries.
The Scurvy for which ascorbic acid
first was used may be just an exaggera-
ton of the combined effects of def
cheney, notable because of its dramatic
consequences. The basic function of the
vitamin is summed up in report of the
Florida Citrus Commission, a State
agency which has sponsored many re-
searches:
In the absence of Vitamin C the in
tercellular materials. such as the cement
substance Of endothelial tissues and
particularly in blood capillaries, the
matrix of bone, dentine and cartilage,
and the collagen of all fibrous tissues are
reabsorbed. This intercellular substance
has been compared to a pliable cement
with darker. stronger bands comparable
to the strips of steel used to reinforce
cement.
"C-avitaminosis may be the underly-
ing cause of the following conditions:
Hemorrhages anywhere in the body, ex-
tenSive changes in tooth and gum struc-
ture. bone changes at the growing ends,
diSintegration of bone, heart enlarge
ment and damaged heart muscle, gen.
eral muscle fiber degeneration, destruc-
ton Of blood forming cells of the bone
marrow, degeneration Of sex organs"
The Spark