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THE DETERMINATION OF SULPHUR DIOXIDE IN FOOD.
1304 did of the lower ones ; their calorie needs would be supplied by smaller amounts of the former, and if their consumption of food were consequently lowered their intake of wheat germ would be correspondingly reduced. V. E. Nelson and his co-workers do not consider that the evidence for the existence of vitamin E is adequate, but J. C. Drummond states that work has
nut always present the clear-cut case which is possible in an educationalinstitution, and foods contain various Since almost all foods interfering constituents. contain substances which will react with the usual oxidising agents and few are free from either sulphur compounds which will yield sulphates or from sulphates themselves, it is usually necessary to take been done in his laboratory which fully confirms advantage of the volatility of sulphur dioxide in order The ease Evans’s work as to the existence of vitamin E. E. V. to obtain a clean, sulphate-free liquid. McCollum and his co-workers not only accept the with which sulphur dioxide forms condensation existence of vitamin E, but they also make an compounds renders something more than simple interesting suggestion as to its possible function. distillation necessary, whilst its easy oxidisability They have been troubled for a considerable time by points to the need of distillation away from air. A great deal of research, not all of the most the appearance, among their experimental rats, of an ophthalmia which they feel cannot be due to any lack convincing kind, has been done on this matter in this of vitamin A. At one time they attributed the eye country and abroad. A monograph by Dr. (-1. W. trouble to some error in the salt mixture and called Monier-Williams, issued by the Ministry of Health, it a salt ophthalmia. In a paper published this year contains a bibliography of over 100 papers devoted to they correlate the ophthalmia with the death of sulphur dioxide in foods. The Ministry and Dr. foetuses on a diet deficient in vitamin E, and regard both Monier-Williams must be congratulated on having as due to an iron insufficiency. They ascribe to avoided the mind-destroying pitfall of standard vitamin E a function with regard to iron assimilation methods. There are, it must be admitted, some cases and state that, on the diet which they use, the where the substance to be determined, although ophthalmia and sterility produced by it can be cured physically or physiologically definite, is not well either by adding vitamin E or by substituting ferric characterised chemically or its characteristic forms or i citrate for the ferrous sulphate previously used. If I compounds are difficult to separate quantitatively or these results are confirmed, vitamin E takes its place to deal with when separated. In such cases a standard with the other vitamins as a dietary constituent, vital method is necessary in order that comparable results for growth and maintenance. I may be obtained by different workers. In other cases There is at present little evidence that lack of the standard method is a sop to intellectual indolence. vitamin E is an important aetiological factor in human Critical investigation of the work of others and some disease, but Prof. E. Poulsson, of Oslo, has published an well thought-out experimental work has enabled Dr. to evolve a method of general interesting case. An apparently healthy woman, after I, Monier-Williamswhich in distillation with application a child had I normal followed a by weakly one, bearing five successive pregnancies in which the child perished acid, in preference to the frequently used phosphoric just before full term. For the next two pregnancies acid, and oxidation of the 80,in the distillatewith cod-liver oil was administered liberally and a healthy hydrogen peroxide overcomes some of the difficulties child resulted in each instance. Whatever may be the in the way of exact work. The means used to verify lesson to be drawn from this case, cod-liver oil cannot the accuracy of the method are described. Some interbe regarded as a rich source of vitamin E, but Prof. esting results showing the very small effect whichthe Poulsson suggests its administration in cases of sulphur in gas used for heating has on liquids digested It appears that those who over gas flames are given. ’habitual and unexplained abortion. e are called upon to examine foods for this preservativ References.—Evans, H. M.: Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 1925, may feel a reasonable certainty as to the accuracy of xi., 373. Evans, H. M., and Bishop, K. S.: Amer. Jour. Phys., 1923, lxiii., 396. Evans, H. M., and Burr, G. O. : Proc Nat. their work if they will pay due regard to the facts set fortli in the report. This is matter for congratulation, Acad. Sci., 1925, xi., 334, and Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1927, lxxxviii., 1462. Nelson, V. E., Jones, R. L., Heller, V. G., as both commerce and the public interest may suffer Parks, T. B., and Fulmer, E. I. : Amer. Jour. Phys., 1926, if new enactments are found to be applicable ollly on lxxvi., 325. Drummond, J. C. : THE LANCET, 1926, i., 272. McCollum, E. V., Simmonds, N., and Becker, J. E. : Jour. a highly speculative basis. Biol. Chem., 1922, liii., 313, and 1925, lxiv., 161 ; and Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1927, lxxxviii., 1047. Poulsson, E.: Münch. Med. Wochens., 1927, No. 16, p. 674. BIRTH TRAUMA AS PROTOTYPE OF FEAR. IN a letter which we publish in another column THE DETERMINATION OF SULPHUR DIOXIDE a San Francisco correspondent refers to the importance of the trauma of birth in the mental development IN FOOD. of the human child. The view that the physical THE Ministry of Health has decided what foods reactions the trauma of birth may by produced and articles used in the preparation of food may stand as a of the emotion of fear has been, prototype contain preservatives, and the kinds and amounts of as our correspondent points out, reached by the these tolerated substances which may be allowed. route. Erasmus Darwin expressed psycho-analytic This in itself is a task requiring knowledge and discre- an almost identical view in 1794, when he wrote 1:— tion. It is, however, one thing to fix a standard or limit As soon as the young animal is born, the first important and another to enforce it. The quantities allowed are in all cases small, and it is not always easy to determine sensations that occur to him are occasioned by the oppression about his precordia for want of respiration. and by his whether an excess has been added. Sulphur dioxide sudden transition from ninety-eight degrees of heat into so is volatile, easily oxidised to sulphuric acid, and forms, cold a climate. He trembles, that is, he exerts alternately with many substances likely to occur in foods, con- all the muscles of his body, to enfranchise himself from the densation products which are non-volatile and fairly oppression about his bosom, and begins to breathe with stable. The most obvious means of determination frequent and short respirations ; at the same time the is conversion, by oxidation, into sulphate. Here cold contracts his red skin, gradually turning it pale ; the alternatives are possible ; either the amount of contents of the bladder and of the bowels are evacuated: from the experience of these first disagreeable sensations oxidising agent required may be determined or the and the passion of fear is excited, which is no other than the sulphate ions when formed may be either preci- expectation of disagreeable sensations. This early association pitated and weighed as barium sulphate or titrated of motions and sensations persists throughout life : the acidimetrically. The former process can be carried passion of fear produces a cold and pale skin, wit h tremblings, out volumetrically; the gravimetric one requires quick respiration, and an evacuation of the bladder and more time and skill. Since, however, 1 part of SO2 bowels, and this constitutes the natural or universal language yields about 3-6 parts of BaS04 it has some advan- of this passion. tages. If it were merely a matter of determination If these views are valid, the bodily manifestations of SO,in clean aqueous solutions the choice of method of fear can be regarded physiologically as conditioned would be merely a matter of convenience. The actual substances dealt with in an analytical laboratory do 1 Zoonomia, vol. i., Section xvi., p. 118.
hydro’-htoric
nut always present the clear-cut case which is possible in an educationalinstitution, and foods contain various Since almost all foods interfering constituents. contain substances which will react with the usual oxidising agents and few are free from either sulphur compounds which will yield sulphates or from sulphates themselves, it is usually necessary to take been done in his laboratory which fully confirms advantage of the volatility of sulphur dioxide in order The ease Evans’s work as to the existence of vitamin E. E. V. to obtain a clean, sulphate-free liquid. McCollum and his co-workers not only accept the with which sulphur dioxide forms condensation existence of vitamin E, but they also make an compounds renders something more than simple interesting suggestion as to its possible function. distillation necessary, whilst its easy oxidisability They have been troubled for a considerable time by points to the need of distillation away from air. A great deal of research, not all of the most the appearance, among their experimental rats, of an ophthalmia which they feel cannot be due to any lack convincing kind, has been done on this matter in this of vitamin A. At one time they attributed the eye country and abroad. A monograph by Dr. (-1. W. trouble to some error in the salt mixture and called Monier-Williams, issued by the Ministry of Health, it a salt ophthalmia. In a paper published this year contains a bibliography of over 100 papers devoted to they correlate the ophthalmia with the death of sulphur dioxide in foods. The Ministry and Dr. foetuses on a diet deficient in vitamin E, and regard both Monier-Williams must be congratulated on having as due to an iron insufficiency. They ascribe to avoided the mind-destroying pitfall of standard vitamin E a function with regard to iron assimilation methods. There are, it must be admitted, some cases and state that, on the diet which they use, the where the substance to be determined, although ophthalmia and sterility produced by it can be cured physically or physiologically definite, is not well either by adding vitamin E or by substituting ferric characterised chemically or its characteristic forms or i citrate for the ferrous sulphate previously used. If I compounds are difficult to separate quantitatively or these results are confirmed, vitamin E takes its place to deal with when separated. In such cases a standard with the other vitamins as a dietary constituent, vital method is necessary in order that comparable results for growth and maintenance. I may be obtained by different workers. In other cases There is at present little evidence that lack of the standard method is a sop to intellectual indolence. vitamin E is an important aetiological factor in human Critical investigation of the work of others and some disease, but Prof. E. Poulsson, of Oslo, has published an well thought-out experimental work has enabled Dr. to evolve a method of general interesting case. An apparently healthy woman, after I, Monier-Williamswhich in distillation with application a child had I normal followed a by weakly one, bearing five successive pregnancies in which the child perished acid, in preference to the frequently used phosphoric just before full term. For the next two pregnancies acid, and oxidation of the 80,in the distillatewith cod-liver oil was administered liberally and a healthy hydrogen peroxide overcomes some of the difficulties child resulted in each instance. Whatever may be the in the way of exact work. The means used to verify lesson to be drawn from this case, cod-liver oil cannot the accuracy of the method are described. Some interbe regarded as a rich source of vitamin E, but Prof. esting results showing the very small effect whichthe Poulsson suggests its administration in cases of sulphur in gas used for heating has on liquids digested It appears that those who over gas flames are given. ’habitual and unexplained abortion. e are called upon to examine foods for this preservativ References.—Evans, H. M.: Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 1925, may feel a reasonable certainty as to the accuracy of xi., 373. Evans, H. M., and Bishop, K. S.: Amer. Jour. Phys., 1923, lxiii., 396. Evans, H. M., and Burr, G. O. : Proc Nat. their work if they will pay due regard to the facts set fortli in the report. This is matter for congratulation, Acad. Sci., 1925, xi., 334, and Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1927, lxxxviii., 1462. Nelson, V. E., Jones, R. L., Heller, V. G., as both commerce and the public interest may suffer Parks, T. B., and Fulmer, E. I. : Amer. Jour. Phys., 1926, if new enactments are found to be applicable ollly on lxxvi., 325. Drummond, J. C. : THE LANCET, 1926, i., 272. McCollum, E. V., Simmonds, N., and Becker, J. E. : Jour. a highly speculative basis. Biol. Chem., 1922, liii., 313, and 1925, lxiv., 161 ; and Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1927, lxxxviii., 1047. Poulsson, E.: Münch. Med. Wochens., 1927, No. 16, p. 674. BIRTH TRAUMA AS PROTOTYPE OF FEAR. IN a letter which we publish in another column THE DETERMINATION OF SULPHUR DIOXIDE a San Francisco correspondent refers to the importance of the trauma of birth in the mental development IN FOOD. of the human child. The view that the physical THE Ministry of Health has decided what foods reactions the trauma of birth may by produced and articles used in the preparation of food may stand as a of the emotion of fear has been, prototype contain preservatives, and the kinds and amounts of as our correspondent points out, reached by the these tolerated substances which may be allowed. route. Erasmus Darwin expressed psycho-analytic This in itself is a task requiring knowledge and discre- an almost identical view in 1794, when he wrote 1:— tion. It is, however, one thing to fix a standard or limit As soon as the young animal is born, the first important and another to enforce it. The quantities allowed are in all cases small, and it is not always easy to determine sensations that occur to him are occasioned by the oppression about his precordia for want of respiration. and by his whether an excess has been added. Sulphur dioxide sudden transition from ninety-eight degrees of heat into so is volatile, easily oxidised to sulphuric acid, and forms, cold a climate. He trembles, that is, he exerts alternately with many substances likely to occur in foods, con- all the muscles of his body, to enfranchise himself from the densation products which are non-volatile and fairly oppression about his bosom, and begins to breathe with stable. The most obvious means of determination frequent and short respirations ; at the same time the is conversion, by oxidation, into sulphate. Here cold contracts his red skin, gradually turning it pale ; the alternatives are possible ; either the amount of contents of the bladder and of the bowels are evacuated: from the experience of these first disagreeable sensations oxidising agent required may be determined or the and the passion of fear is excited, which is no other than the sulphate ions when formed may be either preci- expectation of disagreeable sensations. This early association pitated and weighed as barium sulphate or titrated of motions and sensations persists throughout life : the acidimetrically. The former process can be carried passion of fear produces a cold and pale skin, wit h tremblings, out volumetrically; the gravimetric one requires quick respiration, and an evacuation of the bladder and more time and skill. Since, however, 1 part of SO2 bowels, and this constitutes the natural or universal language yields about 3-6 parts of BaS04 it has some advan- of this passion. tages. If it were merely a matter of determination If these views are valid, the bodily manifestations of SO,in clean aqueous solutions the choice of method of fear can be regarded physiologically as conditioned would be merely a matter of convenience. The actual substances dealt with in an analytical laboratory do 1 Zoonomia, vol. i., Section xvi., p. 118.
hydro’-htoric