The part played by an "accessory" factor in the production of experimental rickets / by Edward Mellanby.

  • Mellanby, Edward, Sir, 1884-1955.
Date:
[1918?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The part played by an "accessory" factor in the production of experimental rickets / by Edward Mellanby. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    1/4
    [From ths Proceedings of the Physiological Society, January 26, 1918.] Journal Physiology, Vol. LIT. The part played by an accessory factor in the production of experimental rickets. By Edwaed Mellanby. In these experiments puppies of about two months old were fed on diets which were found to produce rickets in the course of 3-4 months. Two such diets were used: (1) Milk, rice, oatmeal and sodium chloride, (2) • Milk and bread. Salt is essential for life in the case of the first diet. The milk must be limited to less than 200 c.c. each day. If it is much increased no rickets develop. In the case of other puppies, different classes of foodstuffs were added to the ricketty diet and the development or non-development of the disease investigated. The results were of such a nature that if rickets did not develop it could be assumed that it contained some anti-rachitic factor. The following lists briefly indicate some of the results obtained: Substances preventing Substances not preventing rickets rickets (1) Meat. (1) Protein of meat. (2) Watery extract of meat free (2) Casein. from protein. (3) Malt extract. (3) Linseed oil. (4) Commercial yeast extract. (4) 10 grams of yeast a (6) 500 c.c. of milk each day. day. (6) Butter. (7) Margarines. (8) Cod liver oil. An examination of these tables shows that fats, proteins and carbo¬ hydrates are not causative factors. On the other hand it seems clear that rickets is a deficiency disease of the type of scurvy and beri-beri. Similarly the anti-rachitic accessory factor has characters related to the growth accessory factor, although it is not identical with the latter, since rickets is rather an abnormality of growth and is most prominently shown in quickly growing animals.