View report page

38
flour containing at least 80% of the whole wheat, including the germ and
semolina, made from any kind of wheat or mixture of wheats, contains a
larger percentage of each of the above constituents than fine white flour made
from the corresponding wheat or mixture of wheats.
There are also similar higher percentages in ''standard'' unpolished rice
in comparison with those of white polished rice made from corresponding rice.
Eijkman in 1896 showed that fowls fed on white polished rice (peeled
rice) developed a polyneuritis similar to beri-beri, which was not the case
when they were fed on unpeeled rice. Since then evidence has been
accumulating that the inner layer of all cereals such as wheat, oats, rye, rice
and maize contains an important substance or substances which are essential
to the nutritive value of the grain, and that if these are eliminated in the
milling or preparation of the grain, a staple diet composed of cereals thus
peeled not only fails adequately to nourish the consumers but tends to set up
active disease.
The sturdy physique of Scotch peasants is well known. Their staple
food is prepared from "unpeeled" oats and not "groats" which are peeled
oats.
In a large number of instances as reported by various observers in the
East, beri-beri has been practically exterminated by the use of unpeeled rice.
Respecting the etiology of beri-beri numerous researches have for years
been carried out by many observers, and Schaumann in December, 1910,
published a monograph giving a summary of these in addition to his own
researches. Other researches have for some years been carried out by
Drs. Fraser and Stanton at the Institute of Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur,
Federated Malay States.
They have proved that the substances contained in sifted rice polishings,
which are effective in preventing polyneuritis, are contained in about 1½%of
the weight of the original unpolished rice grain, and have given details of the
method of obtaining this 1½%extract.
Therefore ''standard'' rice might be taken to mean rice which contains
at least 1½% of the substances obtained by this method from the rice.
In the course of their researches they have also proved that the fats,
which are contained in rice polishings in comparative abundance, are of no
importance in preventing polyneuritis, and the same applies also to phytin,
the calcium magnesium salt of an organic acid containing phosphorus. This
phytin is precipitated on the addition of alcohol and contains 73% of the
total amount of phosphorus pentoxide contained in the siftings.
Recent researches in England by Dr. Hopkins, of Cambridge, Dr.
Leonard Hill, of the London Hospital, and Drs. Edie and Simpson, of the
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, have also indicated the superior food
value of "standard" bread.