Abstract
A review of the literature reveals that a vitamin deficient diet fed to animals will alter the motility of their gastro-intestinal tract, and is also capable of producing in their intestines marked pathological changes. Most of these observations appertaining to the motility, however, were made by methods other than with the Roentgen rays and in the few instances wherein it was employed, the skiagraphic method was used with unsatisfactory results.
In order that experimental observations upon animals may have a practical application to man, it is necessary to utilize animals whose diet is very much of the same nature as that of the human species, and their gastro-intestinal tract must bear a close resemblance to that of primates. In the rat we have an animal that will ideally serve this purpose, better in fact than herbivorous or graminivorous mammals.
A comparative study by means of frequent fluoroscopic observations was made on the motility of the gastro-intestinal tract of rats fed diets deficient in vitamin B, vitamin D and also a diet deficient in vitamins A and D with a balanced mineral content. These studies were undertaken principally to ascertain the effect of deficient vitamin A and D diet with adequate mineral balance, upon the motility of the gastro-intestinal tract of rats.
Seventy rats were used. Twelve were fed a deficient vitamin B diet, 14 a deficient vitamin D diet with an unbalanced mineral content, 17 a diet deficient in vitamins A and D but with an adequate mineral balance and 27 normal rats served as controls. After the rats were fasted for 48 hours and water withheld during the last 24 hours of fasting they were fed, in separate cages, a meal consisting of 5 gm. of barium sulphate and 5 cc. of buttermilk.
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