Effect of Radiant Energy With and Without Iron Upon Nutritional Anemia in the Rat

Abstract

The effect of radiant energy upon the metabolism of small doses of Fe in the nutritional anemia of the rat seems to have been little studied. Foster 1 produced anemia in rats by milk feeding and observed the effect of radiant energy in preventing and curing this type of anemia. There was a slight but definite effect in increasing the hemoglobin and the number, size and saturation of the red cells.

We have made the following studies upon the effect of radiant energy upon both the prevention and cure of nutritional anemia in the rat.

Preventive Studies. Young rats at weaning were fed upon whole milk. Daily doses of pure Fe from 0.05 to 0.30 mg. were given, with and without 3/4 hour ultraviolet irradiation of the rat daily, with the General Electric Sunlight Mazda Lamp, Type S-I, at a distance of 4 feet. This lamp has recently been described by Carter. 2 Weekly estimations of hemoglobin and red cell counts were made by the technique described by Beard and Myers.⁸

With milk alone, milk plus irradiation, irradiated milk, and milk plus 0.05 mg. Fe daily the anemia became progressively worse. There was a striking effect of irradiation on red cell recovery with both 0.05 and 0.10 mg. Fe daily, namely, a drop of 41 and 0.6% on these doses of iron may be compared to an increase of 33 and 50% when 3/4 hour irradiation was given. The anemia was prevented by daily doses of Fe from 0.15 to 0.30 mg. These doses with irradiation were also much more effective in preventing the anemia than were these doses of Fe alone, with the exception of the 0.25 mg. dose. Irradiated milk with 0.30 mg. Fe daily gave a much more striking increase in both cells and hemoglobin than any other type of therapy used in this study. These results are given in Table I.

A polycythemia occurred in 4 animals on doses of Fe alone and in 12 animals on Fe and irradiation.