Abstract
One of the disorders occurring in young chicks upon synthetic diets is characterized by severe pathological changes in the central nervous system (l-3). This disease, for which we have suggested the term nutritional encephalomalacia, has no correlation with body weight, sex, or breed of chick (4) and develops only during the period of active brain growth (5). The disease is not infectious nor transmissible by inoculation. Since the disorder was observed but rarely upon diets of natural foods, experimentation on the possible dietary factors was begun by incorporating in the synthetic diet various natural foods, such as grains, grain products, green foodstuffs, animal tissues, or animal products. The ineffectiveness of these supplements led to further experiments in which the content of mineral, fat, carbohydrate, and vitamin of the synthetic diet was varied. A high proportion of lard in the diet seemed to favor the development of the disease. When the lard was replaced by vegetable oils, these were found to provide complete protection (6). We wish to report experiments demonstrating this protective effect of vegetable oils. It will be shown also that the preventive factor is contained in the non-saponifiable fracti0n.l Care and Examination of Animal-White Leghorn chicks of accredited stock were obtained from Hall Brothers, Wallingford,
Highlights
One of the disorders occurring in young chicks upon synthetic diets is characterized by severe pathological changesin the central nervous system (l-3). This disease,for which we have suggested the term nutritional encephalomalacia,has no correlation with body weight, sex, or breed of chick [4] and develops only during the period of active brain growth [5]
Before one draws conclusions as to the identity of a protective factor with vitamin Bq, it should be clearly shown that the paralytic disease described by Keenan et al [12] is the same as nutritional encephalomalacia
The fact that the preventive factor against nutritional encephalomalacia is present in the non-saponifiable fraction of soy bean oil excludes the possibility that it is vitamin Bd or any other watersoluble vitamin
Summary
OF ANNA HART (From the Departments of Biological Chemistry and Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York). Since the disorder was observed but rarely upon diets of natural foods, experimentation on the possible dietary factors was begun by incorporating in the synthetic diet various natural foods, such as grains, grain products, green foodstuffs, animal tissues, or animal products The ineffectiveness of these supplements led to further experiments in which the content of mineral, fat, carbohydrate, and vitamin of the synthetic diet was varied. When natural foods were incorporated in Diet 108, the amounts of casein, corn-starch, lard, and salts were altered in such a way as to maintain the original relation of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and minerals Supplements such as fresh greens were cut or ground, mixed with a small amount of Diet 108, and fed early in the day. In 735 positive cases, the diagnosis was correctly made in 639, or 87 per cent
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