Vitamin Supplements

Among the most exciting findings of modern times is the discovery of vitamins. Until a few years ago no one even dreamed of their existence. For centuries it had been observed that during long ocean voyages sailors often came down with a mysterious disease called scurvy, which affected the skin, the gums and teeth, and other parts of the body. This disease usually cleared soon after the sailors reached land and began to eat fresh fruits and vegetables.

There was evidently something in fresh foods that prevented scurvy. No one knew what it was, but some wise person in the British Navy provided lemons and limes for the sailors. Since that time, British sailors have been called “limeys.”

Then came a second important observation. Beriberi was another disease commonly seen in Indonesia and other parts of the East. It was particularly prevalent around the turn of the century. Many thought it was some kind of infection. But one Dutch scientist decided to find out. He suspected there might be some deficiency in the people’s diet. So he took the polished rice so commonly used and fed it to experimental animals. They all developed beriberi, similar to the human population. Then he fed the animals with the rice polishings or husks, and they all recovered. There was evidently something in the outer shell of the rice grains that prevented beriberi. Thus was born a new concept in the understanding and treatment of disease.

Dietary deficiencies were not new in the world, but the situation during the past century was different. With the rise of large centers of population there also arose the problem of how to feed the people. Increased quantities of food had to be transported and stored, ready for use. In earlier generations people lived closer to the land. Now their foods were coming from a distance. New methods of storage were devised, which were, and still are, very costly to health.

Dangers of Refined Foods

Nature has amply provided for our needs. If this were not so, the race would have died out long ago. Unfortunately, we have tampered with her ample provisions. Like the polishing of rice in the Orient, Western manufacturers were busy “refining” wheat. The whole grain of the wheat is one of nature’s finest foods. The inner kernel is composed of a fine grade of energy food and protein, while the outer layers and the germ of the wheat contain most of the vitamins and minerals.

These outer layers and the germ of the wheat are removed in the milling process, because weevils seem to prefer these substances. They evidently know what is good!

This was not done intentionally by the manufacturers. They did not know the fine things they were throwing away. Long years of study were required before these facts were uncovered. Today they are putting some of these elements back into the flour and calling it “enriched.” While this is to be preferred to ordinary white flour, there are still some important nutrients left out which are naturally present in the whole grain. This lack is partly responsible for the poor health of many people today.

Many of our nutritional troubles arise from the absence of these essential elements in our foods. We may be eating enough, but something extremely important is missing from our diet. The health of the body depends upon certain rather complicated chemical reactions. These reactions occur in many different forms. If only one element is absent, the whole chain of reactions is broken. This is a frequent cause of disease.

If we all enjoyed perfect health, there would probably be no illness of any kind. Our bodies would function faultlessly. Our resistance to disease would be adequate. Harmful germs could never invade our bodies. Unfortunately, none of us have this kind of health. We are all subject to certain types of illness or infection. How much suffering we have to endure depends to a large extent upon nutrition, not only at present, but all through our lives and even before we were born. A mother who is chronically ill cannot give birth to a strong and healthy baby. Nor can a child who is malnourished hope to have strong and healthy tissues in his later years.

All kinds of problems arise when people try to live on an improper diet, even some criminal tendencies at times. Much of the misbehavior in children can be traced to this source. People who suffer from chronic headaches and nervous strain are often found to be lacking in some of these essentials, especially minerals and vitamins.

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