Here again no details are given; there are no comparative results of the careful study of a series of cases. The sum and substance of this remarkable contribution to a scientific publication is to the effect (1) that the organism that in the body is toxic becomes nontoxic when introduced in vaccine form; (2) that the organism that in the body is but little antigenic becomes when introduced in vaccine form actively antigenic, and (3) that “in extreme acute infections” when the body is affected profoundly by the infectious agent and its product, the oftener and the more one injects of these very materials, the better the results!
And this astounding plea for the use of vaccines in conditions in which vaccines are generally held to be contraindicated, or even injurious, is made by one whose business is the manufacture of vaccines and selling them to the medical profession!—(Editorial from The Journal A. M. A., Oct. 23, 1920.)
VITAMINS: THEIR DISTRIBUTION
Our knowledge of the accessory food factors, commonly spoken of as vitamins, is so recent, comparatively speaking, and the exact nature of these factors still so enveloped in mystery, that it was inevitable that the public’s lack of knowledge on the subject should be capitalized. It is not surprising that there are on the market a number of preparations of the “patent medicine” type that are being sold under the claim that they are rich in vitamins—although the exploiters of these fail to explain which, if any, of the three accessory food factors their products contain. The renaissance of yeast as a therapeutic agent has given an opportunity to the manufacturers of this product of unduly stressing the fact that yeast is particularly rich in the antineuritic vitamin (water-soluble B). Because milk and certain milk products are rich in the fat-soluble A factor, the dairy interests would apparently have the public believe that this particular vitamin is to be obtained only from their products. Thus, a journal devoted to the dairy interests recently claimed that those who want vitamins must get them in their milk, butter, cheese and other milk products. The truth is, the accessory food factors are so well distributed throughout the dietary of modern man that, generally speaking, the individual who uses ordinary judgment in selecting his food is in no danger of suffering from a deficiency of any of these three factors. It would be well if every physician might read the excellent monograph on the present state of knowledge concerning accessory food factors written by a committee appointed jointly by the Lister Institute and Medical Research Committee. In this report the distribution of the vitamins in our common foodstuffs is thus briefly summarized: “... broadly speaking it is safe to say that the individual always finds sufficient supply of vitamins in his food so long as that food is reasonably varied and has received no artificial or accidental separation into parts, and so long as no destructive influence has been applied to it.” At the end of the committee’s report is a table (reproduced on page 562) which shows the distribution of the three accessory factors in the commoner foodstuffs.—(Editorial from The Journal A. M. A., Aug. 13, 1921.).
Distribution of Three Accessory Factors in Commoner Foodstuffs
| Classes of Foodstuff | Fat-Soluble A or Anti- rachitic Factor | Water-Soluble B or Antineuritic (Antiberiberi) Factor | Antiscor- butic Factor |
| Fats and Oils: | |||
Butter | +++ | ||
Cream | ++ | ||
Cod-liver oil | +++ | ||
Mutton fat | ++ | ||
Beef fat or suet | ++ | ||
Peanut oil | + | ||
Fish oil, whale oil, etc. | ++ | ||
Margarin prepared from animal fat | Value in proportion to amount of animal fat contained | ||
Nut butters | + | ||
| Meat, Fish, etc.: | |||
Lean meat (beef, mutton, etc.) | + | + | + |
Liver | ++ | ++ | + |
Kidneys | ++ | + | |
Heart | ++ | + | |
Brain | + | ++ | |
Sweetbreads | + | ++ | |
Fish, white |
| very slight, if any | |
Fish, fat (salmon, herring, etc.) | ++ | very slight, if any | |
Fish roe | + | ++ | |
Canned meats | ? | very slight | |
| Milk, Cheese, etc.: | |||
Milk, cow’s whole, raw | ++ | + | + |
Milk, skim, raw |
| + | + |
Milk, dried whole | less than ++ | + | less than + |
Milk, boiled, whole | undetermined | + | less than + |
Milk, condensed, sweetened | + | + | less than + |
Cheese, whole milk | + | ||
| Eggs: | |||
Fresh | ++ | +++ | ? |
Dried | ++ | +++ | ? |
| Cereals, Pulses, etc.: | |||
Wheat, maize, rice, whole grain | + | + | |
Wheat germ | ++ | +++ | |
Wheat, maize, bran |
| ++ | |
Linseed, millet |
| ++ | ++ |
Dried peas, lentils, etc. |
| ++ | |
Soy beans, haricot beans | + | ++ | |
Germinated pulses or cereals | + | ++ | ++ |
| Vegetables and Fruits: | |||
Cabbage, fresh (raw) | ++ | + | +++ |
Cabbage, fresh (cooked) |
| + | + |
Cabbage, dried | + | + | very slight |
Cabbage, canned |
|
| very slight |
Swede (rutabaga) raw expressed juice |
| + | +++ |
Lettuce | ++ | + | |
Spinach (dried) | ++ | + | |
Carrots, fresh raw | + | + | + |
Carrots, dried | very slight | + | |
Beetroot, raw, expressed juice |
|
| less than + |
Potatoes, raw | + | + | |
Potatoes, cooked |
|
| + |
Beans, fresh, scarlet runners, raw |
|
| ++ |
Onions, cooked |
|
| + at least |
Lemon juice, fresh |
|
| +++ |
Lemon juice, preserved |
|
| ++ |
Lime juice, fresh |
|
| ++ |
Lime juice, preserved |
|
| very slight |
Orange juice, fresh |
|
| +++ |
Raspberries |
|
| ++ |
Apples |
|
| + |
Bananas | + | + | very slight |
Tomatoes (canned) |
|
| ++ |
Nuts | + | ++ | |
| Miscellaneous: | |||
Yeast, dried |
| +++ | |
Yeast, extract and autolyzed | ? | +++ | |
Malt extract |
| + in some specimens |
Our Knowledge of Vitamins
Commenting on the trend of medical research concerning vitamins, the latest report of the British Medical Research Council says: