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MONOPHAGISM, PELLAGRA, AND SCURVY.
24 medical referee is to be remedied by instituting Regional Appeal Boards staffed by consultants In future the neurasthenic man, be actually seen by neurological experts, and no awards will be altered on inexpert hearsay evidence. The man dissatisfied with his award will still be able to go to his Local War Pensions Committee, who will be entitled to have the case reviewed by the Regional Appeal Board; their decision must, from the nature of the facts, obviously be final for a period. If the man’s condition becomes altered he can go to the local medical referee, who will have the findings of the Regional Appeal Board before him and will be able to certify to what extent the man’s present condition differs from the condition found by the board; the Local War Pensions Committee will be able to finance the man to the extent of this difference.
properly selected. for example, will
destroying the proteins themselves. In monophagism, therefore, there has to be taken into consideration not only the absence of certain ferments
groups, but also the presence in excess of other groups which are toxo-sensitising. Pellagra cannot be caused by deficiency of proteins in a diet of maize, for the amount of these is enough to satisfy the requirements of human food. It is always a disease of poverty, but the specific feature is to be found in the toxic or toxo-sensitising action of its In the same way over-abundant constituents. Professor Volpino considers that in scurvy there is a process of sensitising of the organism by a diet which is too exclusive, being deficient in certain constituents and disproportionally excessive in others. The same is true also of sprue and beri-beri. Professor Volpino, in view of the toxosensitising factor in pellagra, is led to consider the possibility of artificially increasing the resistance of animals to an exclusive diet. His researches have shown how this can be done within certain limits and the possibility of the extension of the MONOPHAGISM, PELLAGRA, AND SCURVY. method to human beings. Dr. Volpino’s views, THE theory which connects the eetiology of are of a highly speculative nature, will which pellagra with maize, originated by Lombroso, has find a suitable test in their application to the for the last ten years become the subject of renewed of relapses in pellagra. discussion. While on the one hand the geographicalprophylaxis distribution of this disease is in close relationship with maize cultivation, laboratory experiments HEALTH WORK FOR THE WHITLEY COUNCILS. on the other hand have furnished no positive ABOUT a year ago the Whitley Councils of the results in establishing this association. Professor Potteries and Printers set up ajoint health comG. Volpino,1 of Bergamo, has recently investigated mittee sanctioned an experimental scheme which the subject from the point of view of anaphylaxis observation and research in for medical regular in pellagrous patients inoculated with extract of The described by Mr. E. industry. experiment, maize, and has shown that the injection of Halford Ross in a lecture delivered on Tuesday last 1 to 2 c.cm. of watery extract of spoilt maize before the Industrial Reconstruction Council, was produces in them a distinct reaction affecting made in two where the works, large printing the nervous system, the skin, and intestinal informed both their were by employees employer functions. Sound maize had not the same effect. These phenomena, clearly anaphylactic, and the secretary of the trade-unions that a doctor. would attend periodically to advise the are caused by a super-saturation of the organism As a result many of pellagrous patients already rich in maidic workers on health matters. came forward and asked advice. Observations substances, by a new maidic substance introOther experiments in were made while work was in progress and duced experimentally. done to show employees how they guinea-pigs confirmed this. These animals, after much was work under better conditions. In addition, might an exclusive diet of maize for 20 to 30 days, numerous cases of disability were discovered and were inoculated with 0’5-1 c.cm. of the serum of and the experiment was considered to pellagrous patients and died within 1-3 days, while remedied been have most successful. Certain researches control animals inoculated with serum from healthy were done concerning fatigue, hours of work, the individuals survived, as was the case also with other guinea-pigs fed on ordinary diet even if provision of seats, and the advantages of welfare inoculated with double quantities of pellagrous work generally. It was discovered that the health An exclusive diet (monophagism) is not of committee of each industry is the best means of serum. itself invariably harmful, especially when it forms carrying out this work. Each industry differs; the traditional food of the species; sometimes, how- each has its own requirements. It is, therefore, much better for each industry to undertake its ever, it is not tolerated and causes pathological own welfare matters than to leave it entirely phenomena, as in beri-beri (Professor Volpino adds) to This experiany Government department. The reasons why guinea-pigs fed and gout. that ment further valuable research suggests excliisively on maize die are complex; the want in industrial medicine be carried out might and antiscorbutic vitamines is of antineuritic on a larger scale under similar conditions. probably less important than the deficiency of Sufficient work has already been done in London grass, which is the traditional food of the species. last two and a half years to indicate the during As a result of this, the fact comes into play some of the lines along which research should be that the molecular grouping of the proteins of Catarrh, bronchitis, and chronic cough cereals are not analogous to those of herbaceous pursued. are the most common obvious ailments which affect proteins, and the amino-acid content also is the workers, and it is very rare to find a large different. Moreover, it is probable that every kind office without somebody in it suffering from a of unsuitable diet, if persisted in, favours the entry is quite certain that a considerable into the circulation of a definite quantity of protein " cold." It sum of is lost in London every week money not completely split up into amino-acids, which to the of output caused by reduction owing causes, on the one hand, alimentary anaphylaxis, and on the other, the appearance in the blood of these complaints, in addition to the wages paid during sickness. It might quite possibly be 1 Annali d’ Igiene, May-September, 1918. Rome, Via Palermo, 58. demonstrable by experiment that economy would
properly selected. for example, will
destroying the proteins themselves. In monophagism, therefore, there has to be taken into consideration not only the absence of certain ferments
groups, but also the presence in excess of other groups which are toxo-sensitising. Pellagra cannot be caused by deficiency of proteins in a diet of maize, for the amount of these is enough to satisfy the requirements of human food. It is always a disease of poverty, but the specific feature is to be found in the toxic or toxo-sensitising action of its In the same way over-abundant constituents. Professor Volpino considers that in scurvy there is a process of sensitising of the organism by a diet which is too exclusive, being deficient in certain constituents and disproportionally excessive in others. The same is true also of sprue and beri-beri. Professor Volpino, in view of the toxosensitising factor in pellagra, is led to consider the possibility of artificially increasing the resistance of animals to an exclusive diet. His researches have shown how this can be done within certain limits and the possibility of the extension of the MONOPHAGISM, PELLAGRA, AND SCURVY. method to human beings. Dr. Volpino’s views, THE theory which connects the eetiology of are of a highly speculative nature, will which pellagra with maize, originated by Lombroso, has find a suitable test in their application to the for the last ten years become the subject of renewed of relapses in pellagra. discussion. While on the one hand the geographicalprophylaxis distribution of this disease is in close relationship with maize cultivation, laboratory experiments HEALTH WORK FOR THE WHITLEY COUNCILS. on the other hand have furnished no positive ABOUT a year ago the Whitley Councils of the results in establishing this association. Professor Potteries and Printers set up ajoint health comG. Volpino,1 of Bergamo, has recently investigated mittee sanctioned an experimental scheme which the subject from the point of view of anaphylaxis observation and research in for medical regular in pellagrous patients inoculated with extract of The described by Mr. E. industry. experiment, maize, and has shown that the injection of Halford Ross in a lecture delivered on Tuesday last 1 to 2 c.cm. of watery extract of spoilt maize before the Industrial Reconstruction Council, was produces in them a distinct reaction affecting made in two where the works, large printing the nervous system, the skin, and intestinal informed both their were by employees employer functions. Sound maize had not the same effect. These phenomena, clearly anaphylactic, and the secretary of the trade-unions that a doctor. would attend periodically to advise the are caused by a super-saturation of the organism As a result many of pellagrous patients already rich in maidic workers on health matters. came forward and asked advice. Observations substances, by a new maidic substance introOther experiments in were made while work was in progress and duced experimentally. done to show employees how they guinea-pigs confirmed this. These animals, after much was work under better conditions. In addition, might an exclusive diet of maize for 20 to 30 days, numerous cases of disability were discovered and were inoculated with 0’5-1 c.cm. of the serum of and the experiment was considered to pellagrous patients and died within 1-3 days, while remedied been have most successful. Certain researches control animals inoculated with serum from healthy were done concerning fatigue, hours of work, the individuals survived, as was the case also with other guinea-pigs fed on ordinary diet even if provision of seats, and the advantages of welfare inoculated with double quantities of pellagrous work generally. It was discovered that the health An exclusive diet (monophagism) is not of committee of each industry is the best means of serum. itself invariably harmful, especially when it forms carrying out this work. Each industry differs; the traditional food of the species; sometimes, how- each has its own requirements. It is, therefore, much better for each industry to undertake its ever, it is not tolerated and causes pathological own welfare matters than to leave it entirely phenomena, as in beri-beri (Professor Volpino adds) to This experiany Government department. The reasons why guinea-pigs fed and gout. that ment further valuable research suggests excliisively on maize die are complex; the want in industrial medicine be carried out might and antiscorbutic vitamines is of antineuritic on a larger scale under similar conditions. probably less important than the deficiency of Sufficient work has already been done in London grass, which is the traditional food of the species. last two and a half years to indicate the during As a result of this, the fact comes into play some of the lines along which research should be that the molecular grouping of the proteins of Catarrh, bronchitis, and chronic cough cereals are not analogous to those of herbaceous pursued. are the most common obvious ailments which affect proteins, and the amino-acid content also is the workers, and it is very rare to find a large different. Moreover, it is probable that every kind office without somebody in it suffering from a of unsuitable diet, if persisted in, favours the entry is quite certain that a considerable into the circulation of a definite quantity of protein " cold." It sum of is lost in London every week money not completely split up into amino-acids, which to the of output caused by reduction owing causes, on the one hand, alimentary anaphylaxis, and on the other, the appearance in the blood of these complaints, in addition to the wages paid during sickness. It might quite possibly be 1 Annali d’ Igiene, May-September, 1918. Rome, Via Palermo, 58. demonstrable by experiment that economy would