VITAMIN "C"

Hutt News, Volume 15, Issue 22, 29 October 1941, Page 8

VITAMIN "C"

J • /•;« » , ' * , ». ■ - ■ 'jj »V h: i'jl D. W.'jui*~ i i la order to get under- J Binding of the 1 perhaw . to remind | father the "DoubthiU; | amongst them, pWh ' existence of faetl 1 relating to I ! three.. definite !i * 1 bur bodies. FiiWly, ll|f2 with the building 1 whiCh, ; in the or so, the helpless i£(fifct 'lk' ed into a healthy, ; bjr. adult. Secondly' it Irpldes us with the peculiar ltfnd. - -|)f from which .we ' energy. • And with a number of , *(fiTOh, like the electric spark IS^e-Sun-ders of an internal combustion engine, give life and sparkle to all our functions. The first group Includes the proteins and the mineral elements, and these provide the materials for the creation of our physical structures and their maintenance. The former we get from meat, flsh and other flesh foods, cheese, legumes, nuts, etc., which supply us with a small proportion of mineral elements. The bulk of our mineral elements, however, come from the vegetable world and dairy produce. The second group, which maintains our heat and energy, comprise the carbohydrates of which starch and BUgar are familiar samples. Heat and energy may also be derived from proteins, but to consume proteins to the exclusion of carbohydrate*,.is poor economy. Carbohydrates, however, cannot be substituted for proteins, because they contain no essential building materials. White sugar is almost a pure carbohydrate and contains nothing else whatever of value. ..xost carbohydate foods do contain mineral substances as well unless they have been processed, or refined, in which case most of these important elements are removed in tlje manufacturing process.

Then we come to the thipd group, living functions. These are, the vitamins. They are presenf; in, food in minute quantities only ?| ,an«Jl. con aequently are most difficult, the chemist to detect or Nevertheless, a number have already been isolated and, classified, and the presence of ifuore are suspected. For simplicity's sake they have been named vitamins A,. B, and so on in rotation their activities have been observed and brought to light. Now, each vitamin has definite functions to fulfil. Oqe cannot take the place of the other, a$ in the case of the proteins and tfie carbohydrates. Vitamin A cannot take the place of vitamin ( C ;jl for instance. At the same .time it should be noted that the promotion of growth, which is the special function of vitamin A, cannot be secured without, t the cooperation of each of the., other vitamins—they work as a,.' team. The member of the team of vitamins under discussion this vitamin C. This vitamin is know® as the anti-scorbutic vitamin of its discovery as an antidote and protector against scurvy (or scorbutus). Scorbutus (the medical name for scurvy) develops when the diet is lacking in sufficient fresh foods, and particularly fresh vegetables ana iresh fruits. It Ib not prevalent nowadays, excepting in its incipient tormfi, but in the days of the Bailing vessels its ravages were more to be ieared than storms aud such-like perils of the sea. During long sea voyages,; and also in Northern Europe, or. wherever a community was. compelled to subsist for long periods on preserved foodstuffs, the mortality rate from, scuryy was air ways high. Infantile s'curvy is still sufficiently prevalent in some communities to excite concern amongst health authorities, but it. is mainly confined to infants of parents, of th? lower wage scale groups in cities or where infants are artificially fed and insufficient fresh fruit or vegetables are available. Nevertheless, milder forms of the disease are to be found in practically every community. The scorbutic child, that is, the tendency to scorbutus or Bcurvy, is the rule and not a rarity, but its symptoms are not easily recognised by parents, or, ior that matter, by the Health Authorities either, because they are generally slight and Invariably subdue without gerlous visible effect and, are therefore regarded as some] physiological stage through which the infant is passing, as, for instance, so-called growing pains, teething, etc. j

Appearances are often deceiving, and the scorbutic child may appear particularly plump and well nourished for a while. Then .he ttiky suddenly become fretful and given Ito crying on the slightest, provocation or when bgip& ; or handled because hislegß. The bones of the cfcfld are brittle and more fracture. The gums are pal/e ( . and'tipay be swollen und purple ! patches. Invariably ,|^^ r . digestive disturbances T*is Infant ceases to tbrjv£*fcftd n-map? even lose weight. or aft-, of these sytnjkoms are. common in most infants and mbife oftin thM> not are ascribed to teething difficulties. . •/

these further facts, have been established in relation to a lack of vitamin C. In experiments upon animals it wnp found that their resistance to disease was much lower.

' l]M Jb ♦ j( ibINW f It was much easier to Infect them With ttifceftsle and otMr b#ot#rlal diseases and from' which thijr stiellkhed than iibrkllly (ad :VW1a hUtiiil bltfigi. Ity to many of the common infec* ctoWhfci in; bteiii®fc> , " / |or &<ifae. sfebh^car^^ destructive, wfflffli r *&id»i*l6rie;?iß condemn i n (the fwiSe8^ jpif'actice of adding ; o< tfiite -'to 1 the water dßbfctfag For 4 sufficient amount of fresh raw Vege- ' table or fruit must be daily. _ .' ! ■", "The following is a list of anti^

scorbutic or vitamin C foods arranged in their order of value. PARSLEY, RADISH, CABBAGE FRESHLY GERMINATED PEAS AND BEANS, LfikoNS, LIMES, ORANGES, GRAPEFRUIT, APPLE SKINS, CRESS, SPINACH, LIVER, PINEAPPLE JUICE, TOMATO JUICE, PEACHES, ONIONS, APPLES, BANANAS.

Well below the above in this vitamin value are such well known foods as fruit and grapes, milk

and meat. The vitamin C value of grains and seeds is enormously increased after germination. Experiments have disclosed that, whereas dry peas contain no vitamin C, the amount present after germinating four days exceeds the amount present in the citrus fruits. To terminate peas or beans, simply soak in warm water ifor an hour or two, then spread on and cover with a damp cloth and keep in a warm pjftc€i.