Abstract

organism cannot be met entirely by an adequate supply of protein, fat, carbohydrates, inorganic salts and water. It is now establish- ed that in addition to these necesssary constituents, certain un- identified principles known as accessary food factors must also be present in what is called "deficiency diseases." These accessory food factors are known as Vitamins. Their function seems to be to promote growth and maintain health. From the time of Leibig the great Gerinan Chemist, to the tinie of the discovery of vitamins, it had been established that the nutritive value of food, apart from its digestibility depended on its contents of protein, fat, carbohyrates and mineral salts. This discovery of vitamins has already displaced the theory of calories, which was fondly held by the old scientists. The famous reformers of diet believed that the nourishing value of food was in direct proportion to the amount of heat it generated within our bodies.

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