Show h. h DAILY HEALTH SERVICE 4 r I I PRODUCT PRODUCTION ONE OF F V VITAMIN T MIN D D' D i ir r GREAT GR A T WORK OF SCIENCE I Y By MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Jo Journal of of of the the American Medical Medica Association tion and of Hygeia the tIe Health Magazine Among the thoi most dramatic of modern discoveries discovers s in the field of medicine ine is the to produce one c of oe the vU vitamins mins namely ame vitamin D D. A deficiency pf p this substance in n the diet is followed by rickets In that disease the bones are improperly im Ira- properly formed and soft The skull kull is badly shaped the chest narrow and the limbs distorted A of ot vitamin D means also improper development of or the structure and hardness of oe the te teeth th finally finally there seems seem to be some rela relationship between the taking of ot vitamin D n and the amount of resistance the person person ma may have to coughs and colds RICKETS Much of the work concerning this vitamin was wail lone hone by Dr Jr Edward J o or of En England England Eng Eng- land in 1915 Since e that time lime In Investigators invest investigators in- in vest gators all nil over world orM have ave done much to establish the im- im port ri e e o of vitamin D. D ind to find out Its relationship to food rood and to conditions in general About Jt H t was discovered that irradiation on of th tile bodies o of children children children chil chil- dren suffering from rickets by means of ra rays s 's would cure the disease Thus Thu's It had been en shown that vitamin D had a a. definite effect on the presence of rickets and that a a. similar effect could be had bad by ultraviolet rays but an an explanation tion was as not forthcoming as to the nature of th the vitamin the manner in which it worked or of the similarity between Its action and amI that of oC the light Professor Professor- of Wisconsin was as the first to prove th that t marb many tP types S of oe of rood food when Irradiated would produce vitamin D. D Then the effects of 1 light were tried triE on a n solid alcohol substance known as cholesterol which is widely distributed In the animal body most mose frequently frequent found In the natural grease of animal skin It was found that Irradiation of this substance will HI produce vitamin vitamin vita vita- mm min D D. However when a chemically chemi chemi- cally pure cholesterol was irradiated the vitamin did not develop elop Then studies were were made of a substance substance substance sub sub- stance asso associated with cholesterol known as as s This substance substance substance sub sub- stance did yield 3 vitamin D. D GREAT WORK WORK OF RESEARCH RESEARCH Its absorbent action on ultraviolet ultraviolet ultra ultra- violet r rays s 's was found to to tobe be two thousand times tin as strong stron- as s that of oe ordinary impure cholesterol When is irradiated a potent preparation of vitamin D is developed so so powerful In fact that thata a daily dally dose of ot two-tenths two of t a millionth of a gram is sufficient to rickets prevent in a rat This Is recognized as one o of ot the greatest pieces of oe sustained re research research research re- re search in modern one In which in many countries coun coun- trio tries took part and which was carried carrle car car- ned ried out ut b by successful reasoning I from a a afew few simple observations to toa toa a complete conc conclusion |