INDUCED THIAMINE (VITAMIN B1) DEFICIENCY IN MAN

Abstract

In the first study of isolated thiamine deficiency, which Smith and two of us (R. D. W. and H. L. M.¹) made in 1939, 4 young women were maintained on a basal diet which provided 0.15 mg. of thiamine per day (0.075 mg. per thousand calories of the diet) for 147 days. Vitamin A, vitamin D, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), niacin (nicotinic acid), riboflavin, iron and calcium were provided as supplements to this diet. The study of severe restriction of thiamine was repeated in 1940 with 4 young women who were maintained on the same basal diet for 88 days.² In the later study vitamins of the B complex, other than thiamine, were provided by administration of 20 Gm. of autoclaved brewers' yeast per day. This yeast after autoclaving did not contain any thiamine. Its content of the other factors of the vitamin B complex was less severely