THE VITAMINS

Hokitika Guardian, 21 March 1932, Page 2

THE VITAMINS

PROGRESS OF RESEARCH

LONDON, March 15. Dr Samson Wright of the Middlesex Hospital, Professor of Physiology In the University of London expects that important discoveries relating to the nature of the vitamin will be made in the near future. "

‘‘Progress is likely to be rapid,” said Dr Wright. ‘‘The structure of Vitamin I) (anti-rickets) should be elucidated in the near future. A claim to have analysed and determined the chemical composition of one consitueiit of Vitamin B has been made by two Dutcn workers, and the pjs.t.on in regard to Vitamin A is also hopeful. *

‘ There is no reason to expect that the vitamins will necessariy have any very complex structure. It is noteworthy that both the sex hormones and the important gland-secretions thyroxine and adrenaline, have proved to be quite simple substances. Such substances were expected to be complicated only because they were at one time regarded as vague a.ud mysterious. Nor is there any reason why more vitamins should not be discovered. The chief difficulty is the chance discovery of a diet deficient in them and the observations of the resulting symptoms, which of course, would not he known in advance.

“In time the term vitamin will probably ptiss out of use. They me merely definite chemical substances in food, and should be studied as such, The chief need at the moment is for knowledge of the mechanism by which particular vitamins act. We know, for example, that Vitamin D assists the adsorbtion of calicium and phosphorus through the usual channels, uiit concerning Vitamin R w© have no knowledge as to whether it is necessary to the proper working of the heart and the nervous system, or whether its action is much more complex.”

From the point of view of national health, - Dr Wright advocated the raising of margarine to the dietetic level of first-class butter by the addition of suitable quantities of Vitamins A and D.

From the energy point of view, margarine is just as good as butter, but it is deficient in these two vitamins which are particularly important in the case of children, and women before and after childbirth,” lie added “I see no difficuty on the score of cost. These vitamins,are already eas ; - lv obtained, and I have no doubt that the cost of production would be substantially lowered by production on a large scale. As an indication of the small proportion which would be necessary, I may mention that one thousandth of a gram of Vitamin D is sufficient to preserve 40,000 rats from rickets or .(probably) 40 human beings.

PURE VITAMIN A

Bettor results ill the combating of infection (writes the “Morning Post’’ correspondent) are likely to be obtained in consequence of the success, after six years’ research, of Dr, I. M. Heilbroiij Professor of Organic Chemistry at Liverpool University, in collaboration with Dr R, A. Morton, also of Liverpool University, . and Professor J. C. Drummond, of University College London, in obtaining the first extract or distillation of pure Vitamin A.

Professor Karrer, of Zur.ick University, working by a different method, lias also been similarly suceessfull, “I hope eventually it will be possible, to synthesise Vitamin A and build it in the laboratory, and thus make it available to the medical profession,,” said Professor Heilbron. “The medical profession will be able to test its exact physiological properties. The discovery will not make much difference to the general public, who can go on taking cod liver oil; but it may be found that by using the concentrated form of Vitamin A better results are obtained.”

Tlie importance of Dr TTeilbron’s discovery (writes the medical correspondent of the “Morning Post”) lies in the fact that it will now be possible to achieve the exact effects of Vitamin A in combating infection. Hitherto most of this work has been conducted with cod liver oil and other facts which contain Vitamin A and Vit-min B together.

Concentrated Vitamin A might also prove useful to administer to patients in acute infectious illnesses, provided that it could be given without harmful effects.