Effects of B-Vitamin Deficiency,Deprivation of A-Vitamin
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198 rapidly. The thought of our age was separated from present house, and since then among its eminent that of previous ages by the doctrine of evolution, Fellows the names of Richard Bright, Addison, and which had done at least as much to stimulate the Thomas Watson are prominent. studies of the historian as to guide the researches of Dr. Arnold Chaplin, the Harveian Librarian, then the biologist. The whole of evolutionary teaching gave an account of the library, enumerating some of might be summed up in the phrase that organic the special treasures contained in it, and commenting products are the outcome of their history, and can on the fact that every branch of learning was only be understood when their history is known. represented therein. No great system such as that of modern medicine could be understood without reference to its past. The political history of civilisation had always formed the main topic of school and university education, IMPERIAL CANCER RESEARCH FUND. yet the study of the conditions which had made that civilisation possible, the origin and development of THE twentieth annual of this Fund was scientific had until been report thought, recently neglected. presented at the annual meeting on July 19th. It Dr. to discuss the achievements in Singer pro-ceeded was announced that the gift from Lord Athelstan of the of the of Medicine of some of department History 22000 a year for 10 years is to be allocated to an more of the in this the eminent exponents subject extension of the on the infective their President of Sir investigations country, including Honour, sarcomata (dogs and fowls) with a view to defining the Norman Moore, and Sir Clifford Allbutt, as showing difference between these and true neoplasms. The that first-class historical work could be produced in donation of 24000 from Mr. and Mrs. Todman’ will be the intervals of a busy professional life. He referred available at the end of this month. The free- also to the two other active of the exponents history masonry between workers in research laboratories of medicine, Sir D’Arcy Power and Mr. W. G. Spencer, is shown by the fact that the Director has supplied to whose efforts the of this was holding Congress material during the year to workers in Glasgow, largely due. Their work had demonstrated the Leicester, Vienna, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, and to humane and educational value of the history of other laboratories in London. medicine. The need for teachers of this special Dr. J. A. Director of the subject had become and he that Murray, laboratories, in apparent, hoped a account the before the Congress met again this need would be his report gives considered of work the past year and of its on more adequately and more widely met throughout published during bearing the civilised world. the main problems awaiting solution. Afternoon Session. Vitamins and Cancer. On the work of Dr. W. Cramer and Dr. The afternoon session was held at the important Royal College A. H. in collaboration with Dr. 0. Mottram of Sir Drew J. Physicians. Humphry Rolleston, welcoming Radium with the the members of the the (of the Institute), dealing function Congress, conveyed good and tissue in wishes of Sir Norman Moore, Harveian of the lymphocyte lymphoid nutrition, formerly we commented at the time of its Librarian and President of the whose publication in College, promi- THE LANCET.2 Since then these workers have con- nent part in promoting the study of medical history in this had been tinued their studies on vitamin deficiency in investi- country appropriately recognised by the effect of A-vitamin in and his as President of Honour of the gating. deficiency rats, position Congress. their to 3 Sir Humphry Rolleston recalled that Linacre, have presented results the Royal Society. Just as the diminution in measures the the most learned man of his obtained lymphocytes perhaps time, effects of B-vitamin of A-vitamin the Royal Charter for the College of Physicians on deficiency,deprivation is associated with a diminution of blood- from VIII. at a time when progressive Sept. 23rd, 1518, Henry The characterised the medicine was little more than a mechanical art and platelets. infections, by presence of to there were no societies, other than religious founda- micro-organisms non-pathogenic normally-fed tions, devoted to the of knowledge. animals, which an animal on a deficiency diet solely pursuit is so on Linacrp, anxious to raise the standard of medicine, liable to contract, clear up rapidly the addition of A-vitamin to the food, and the number of modelled the College on the lines of the Italian Universities, Bologna and Padua ; and accordingly platelets returns to normal or even higher than normal. If the for reason do not increase the Fellows of the were learned men first platelets any early College the condition does not and and then medicine one branch in number, general improve physicians, being only the local infections do not The Director of The of the College was then regress. knowledge. history out that a has been elicited between briefly sketched. During the first 100 years it met in points parallel Linacre’s house in Knight Rider-street, and during A-vitamin deficiency and prolonged, repeated exposure this period John Caius, the founder of the science of to the gamma radiation of radium. Here, however, in this did much for the the concomitant effect on the number of lymphocytes anatomy country, College necessitates careful and to avoid the and was one of its names. In 1614 the spacing dosage, great College acute which this blood moved to Amen Court, and Harvey, as Lumleian symptoms accompany change. demonstrated the circulation of the The progressive diminution in the platelets thus Lecturer, blood ; induced is the character- but the was burnt down in the fire of accompanied by symptoms College 1666, istic of A-vitamin Dr. Mottram’s and thus lost museum and the whole deficiency. studies, Harvey’s nearly and to show that the of its From 1669 to 1825 the was in experimental clinical, go aplastic library. College anaemia of X and radium workers is Warwick-lane, in a Sir ray secondary building designed by to these in the and and Christopher Wren, the dome of which was described changes lymphocytes platelets, " is the of similar infections with by Garth as a golden globe placed high with artful probably consequence to the distant a This relatively non-pathogenic organisms. skill, seems, sight, gilded pill." On the of the influence of A-vitamin period of the College was notable for its distinguished question possible Fellows : Sir Hans Sloane, President of the Royal deficiency on cancer the Director reports as follows :- Society, whose collections formed the basis of the Repeated attempts have been made to ascertain whether British Museum; Mead; Garth, the author of " The A-vitamin deficiency has any influence on the growth of Dispensary " ; Arbuthnot, who invented the character malignant tumours. Unfortunately it is difficult to keep " a severe of Sir animals alive for any length of time after degree of John Bull " ; Freind, the historian ; George this has been established. In the who discovered that lead caused the Devonshire deficiency experiments Baker, carried out so far the tumours take in the same percentage colic ; Matthew Baillie, " the first medical writer to as in the control animals and grow progressively, even when treat morbid anatomy as a subject by itself " ; the rats are moribund. The enhanced liability to otherwise W. Heberden, of " the Commentaries " ; and Thomas innocuous bacteria frequently ends these experiments Young, who described the undulatory of light. 1 theory THE LANCET, 1922, i., 1111. In 1825, under the auspices of Sir H. Halford, 2 THE LANCET, 1921, ii., 1202 and 1228. President for 24 years, the College was installed in its 3 THE LANCET, 1922, i., 1006. 199 prematurely, but the results give no encouragement, to the tain normal tissues, notably kidney, showed such a idea that withholding A-vitamin could usefully assist in the gaseous exchange as indicated the combustion of control of the of cancer in man. growth They emphasise carbohydrate, while slowly growing tumours gave the dangers of the insidious debility which A-vitamin the combustion of deficiency induces. respiratory quotients indicating fats. as in recent the emulsions of The progressive atrophy of the cells and organs forming When, experiments, lymphocytes and blood-platelets respectively, which results the latter group were made with solutions of glucose from the absence of A- and B-vitamins in the food, and which and certain other sugars, the respiratory quotient causes ill-health, is also produced by exposure to X rays and rose nearly to unity, showing that their parenchymata radium. This is, in fact, one of the effects on the body as a were able to oxidise these if present the of of these in carbohydrates, whole which limit degree application rays in sufficient concentration. The was made of new If blood attempt the treatment growths. these changes subcutaneous of such radiation must be and the patient by injection sugar solutions, develop, interrupted to allowed to recover. This recovery is materially assisted by into animals bearing tumours, find out whether an ample supply of vitamins in the diet, which stimulate the in this way the rate of growth could be influenced. production of lymphocytes and platelets. No alteration was found to be produced. These observations succeed in combining the F,xperime7zlut Prodtictioit of Cancer. of animal with the precision experiments practical The experiments on the production of skin cancer clinical application which is their ultimate aim. by the external application of tar 6 are being continued In Vitro Culture of Tissues.