OCR Text |
Show CAUSE Of ; Found to be Polished Rice-Army Surgeon Makes' Discovery Washington, Sept 11 Just why the removal of the thin brown husk on the grains of rice should cause that terrible disease beri-oerl when tho polished rice is consumed in tropical countries, is a medical mystery But some time ago the military surgeons, who have been studying this disease In the Philippines, concluded that natives na-tives who ato the unpolished rice were Immune. Reports to the surgeon genet gen-et al's office, the last year, appear to sustain fully this view of tho cause of berl-bcrl. Pioceedlng to apply their theory practically by feeding the native Philippine Phil-ippine soldiers on tho unpolished rice, tho army medical officers have practically prac-tically eradicated berl-beri among the troops", there having been but one case among the Philippine scouts during dur-ing the first five months of the present pres-ent year. The surgeons arc confident confi-dent that another year will entirely wipe out the disease among the scouts. As tho civilian natives generally gen-erally use the unpolished rice for food, because it is cheaper than the polished grain, the disease is scarcely known among them. |