The Anti-Scorbutic Value of Dry and Germinated Seeds.
SCURVY is always a menace to any community of people who are separated from adequate supplies of fresh food, whether in tropical or arctic climates. Such it proved to be to our army in Mesopotamia in ]915 and 1916 (Mesopotamia Commission Report, 1917), especially among the Indian troops. In consequence of this outbreak, a group of investigators in this Institute undertook an investigation of foodstuffs to determine their relative value as antiscorbutics and especially to discover some effective material which could easily be transported and would not readily deteriorate. It has been known for centuries by practical experience of human diets, and has recently been proved experimentally [Holst and Fr6lich, 1912; Delf, 1918] that vegetables of high anti-scorbutic potency become useless for the prevention of scurvy if they are dried and thus rendered suitable for transport. The most likely solution of the problem had already been indicated by Fiirst [1912]. In the series of classical enquiries into experimental scurvy initiated by Holst in the University of Christiania, the work of Fiirst showed that anti-scorbutic stuff was developed in substantial quantity during the first days of germination of various seeds. Peas, beans and other pulses, containing as they do only about 10 % of water, are eminently suited for transport, do not readily deteriorate and can be germinated for use where and when required. They form moreover a large part of the normal diet of the Indian soldier. Experiments at this Institute with guinea-pigs on a diet consisting mainly of peas or lentils confirmed Fiurst's results, and these preliminary trials were published in brief by Chick and Hume [1917] in whose paper directions were given for the germination of the dry seeds on active service. The subject appeared, however, to deserve more detailed examination, especially in respect of the anti-scorbutic value of germinated seeds in comparison with other foodstuffs and of its destruction by ordinary methods of cooking. The work undertaken to complete and amplify the earlier trials is set out in the following pages. Protocols of the individual animal experiments are given in the tables, which in many cases contain results of the earlier and later experiments side bv side.