MILK NOT POTENT FOR CEVITAMIC ACID
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Excerpt
Recent studies of the vitamin C in cow's milk have suggested that this food may actually be a significant source of the antiscorbutic factor;1 hence it is intersting to inquire how much milk would have to be ingested to supply the total human needs for cevitamic acid. Göthlin2 has estimated that for a 60 Kg. man from 19 to 27 mg. of crystalline cevitamic acid constitutes the minimum protective dose (from 0.31 to 0.45 mg. per kilogram). More recently Everson and Daniels3 have made an exact quantitative study of the vitamin C retentions of three preschool children: with intakes up to 7.5 mg. per kilogram of body weight, retentions of the antiscorbutic vitamin paralleled ingestions, whereas excess quantities up to 12 mg. had no significant influence on the amount retained. The largest quantity, over 4 mg. per kilogram, was retained by the youngest child, suggesting that young tissues may need more of this factor than those only slightly older. If maximum retention is an exact criterion of the requirements of an organism for cevitamic acid, a total intake for such children would necessitate between 113 and 143 mg. daily. No direct study of the needs of infants is yet available, but by indirect means an approximation can be made. A curative dose of natural or synthetic cevitamic acid of from 30 to 50 mg. daily for infants with acute scurvy has been used successfully in many cases and a prophylactic dose of 10 mg. has been suggested.4 By an examination of the amounts of vitamin C reported
