stefansson-wrangel-09-40-008-001b

274 SCIENCE [N. S. Vol. LI. No. 1315

Fig. 1. Growth curves of guinea-pigs on different diets.

Animal No. 932 is representative of a number of
guinea-pigs receiving the soy cake diet without any
supplement. Clinical signs of scurvy were first
noted on the 14th day; death from scurvy occurred
on the 19th day. Animal No. 390 receiving soy
cake plus 30 gms. of raw cabbage daily never
showed any signs of scurvy up to the 120th day,
when it was transferred to other experiments.
These two groups serve as controls to show that
the soy cake diet alone will not prevent scurvy but
that it is satisfactory if supplemented with a good

antiscorbutic agent as, in this case, raw cabbage.

Animal No. 348 is typical of a group on the soy
diet plus a daily supplement of dehydrated beef.
Animal No. 354 is one of a number of guinea-pigs
receiving the soy cake diet plus an allotment of
desiccated beef cooked for 15 minutes at 100° C.
In these two groups the development of scurvy has
not been prevented nor death from the disease de-
layed.

S signifies first appearance of scurvy.

S + death from scurvy.

scorbutic qualities reside in certain fresh
foods and diminish or disappear with storage
by any of the common methods of preservation
—canning, pickling, drying, etc. Meat and
fish slightly or well advanced in the process of
ordinary putrefaction seems to be as good an
antiscorbutic as fresh flesh or nearly so,”
Notwithstanding the above statements Stefan-
sson used some dried meat on one of his polar
expeditions. However, circumstances were
such as not to permit a long usage of the dried

products and therefore no direct evidence is
available in his cases as to the antiscorbutic
value of this material.

Chick, Hume and Skelton⁵ found that 10
c.c. of raw fresh beef juice daily did not pre-
vent scurvy in a guinea-pig on a diet of oats
and bran ad lib.

Pitz⁶ has offered experiments to show that

⁵ Chick, H., Hume, E. M., and Skelton, R. F.,
Biochm. J., 1918, 12, 131.

⁶ Pitz, W., J. Biol. Chem., 1918, 36, 439.