Abstract
Recently Sure, Kik and Walker 1 have reported anhydremia associated with disturbance in hematopoietic function in nursing young of the albino rat suffering from vitamin B† deficiency. For the past six months we have been engaged in a study of the effect of a deficiency of the vitamin B complex† of the lactating mother on the total blood sugar content of the nursing young. Although the results of our work are not yet complete, we think it of interest at this time to report on one pathological litter compared with a control litter. The mother of the control litter received our vitamin B deficient ration No. 1009 2 and in addition a separate administration daily of 1000 mg. of Northwestern dehydrated yeast from the time the young were 5 days old. The maternal diet of the pathological litter consisted of the same ration No. 1009 but the mother received only 300 mgm. daily of the same yeast from the day the litter was born until the 21st day of lactation. At this time the first maintenance point of the litter was encountered. After several days slight growth followed, the daily dosage of yeast to the mother was gradually reduced to 100 mg. In order to establish prolonged maintenance, the mother was later allowed, instead of the dehydrated yeast, a daily dosage of 20 mg. of one of our less potent yeast concentrates. The pathological condition of the young was then produced on a prolonged maintenance level.
The total blood sugar of the control group showed a definite increase during the nursing period, rising from approximately 100 mg. on the 15th day of lactation to approximately 130 mg. at weaning. In the pathological group there was a decrease in blood sugar, during the prolonged maintenance period, as follows : 19, 40, 24, 20, 22 and 24% respectively of total blood sugar for each animal.
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