The food value of mangolds and the effects of deficiency of vitamin A on guinea-pigs / by Ellen Boock and John Trevan.

  • Boock, Ellen.
Date:
[1922?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The food value of mangolds and the effects of deficiency of vitamin A on guinea-pigs / by Ellen Boock and John Trevan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/20
    LXXXII. THE FOOD VALUE OF MANGOLDS AND THE EFFECTS OF DEFICIENCY OF VITAMIN A ON GUINEA-PIGS. By ELLEN BOOCK and JOHN TREVAN. From the Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories. (Received October 11th. 1922.) Our colleagues Glenny and Allen [1921] presented to the Pathological Section of the Royal Society of Medicine an account of an investigation into an epizootic amongst a stock of guinea-pigs. They presented conclusive evi¬ dence that the epizootic could be entirely controlled by alteration of the diet. The diet which resulted in the outbreak consisted of bran, oats, water and mangolds. Substitution of the mangolds by cabbage, grass or lucerne stopped the epizootic. When guinea-pigs in adjacent runs were fed on the two diets, those on mangolds were attacked, whilst those with grass remained healthy, although no precautions whatever were taken to prevent infection of the healthy animals. Isolation was not carried out, the runs were not disinfected/ and the attendants handled both groups of animals indiscriminately. These results are of such importance that the following attempt was made to de¬ termine the factors or deficiencies in the mangold which rendered the guinea- pigs sensitive to the epizootic. A few experiments were done by Glenny in which an alcoholic extract of carrot was given to the guinea-pigs with a view to supplying a ppssible deficiency of vitamin A. These indicated that the supply of vitamin A, although it reduced the incidence of the disease, did not stop it, and the guinea-pigs did not put on weight. The following experiments were begun after the epizootic had been con¬ trolled by dietary means, and the effect of the diet was re-investigated. Chart I shows the weight curves of four guinea-pigs fed on unlimited bran, oats, mangolds and water, the animals eating about 40 g. of mangold each per diem, and Chart II those of guinea-pigs kept on a control diet of bran, oats, autoclaved milk and greenstuff. These latter gained weight rather faster than Miss Hume’s [1921] “standard” guinea-pigs (43-7 % in 25 days, as against 34-2 % in Miss Hume’s experiments). It was found that all the guinea-pigs placed on the mangold diet even¬ tually succumbed within a period of about two months. In Chart I, the guinea-pigs were about 200 g. weight when started. In Chart III, they were younger—about 150 g.—and the younger guinea-pigs succumbed earlier than the older ones.