ebook img

Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B: A Disease, a Cause, and a Cure PDF

297 Pages·2000·2.099 MB·English
Save to my drive
Quick download
Download

Download Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B: A Disease, a Cause, and a Cure PDF Free - Full Version

by Kenneth Carpenter| 2000| 297 pages| 2.099| English

About Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B: A Disease, a Cause, and a Cure

In this comprehensive account of the history and treatment of beriberi, Kenneth Carpenter traces the decades of medical and chemical research that solved the puzzle posed by this mysterious disease. Caused by the lack of a minute quantity of the chemical thiamin, or vitamin B1 in the diet, beriberi is characterized by weakness and loss of feeling in the feet and legs, then swelling from fluid retention, and finally heart failure. Western doctors working in Asia after 1870 saw it as the major disease in native armed forces and prisons. It was at first attributed to miasms (poisonous vapors from damp soil) or to bacterial infections. In Java, chickens fed by chance on white rice lost the use of their legs. On brown rice, where the grain still contained its bran and germ, they remained healthy. Studies in Javanese prisons then showed beriberi also occurring where white (rather than brown) rice was the staple food. Birds were used to assay the potency of fractions extracted from rice bran and, after 20 years, highly active crystals were obtained. In another 10 years their structure was determined and "thiamin" was synthesized. Beriberi is a story of contested knowledge and erratic scientific pathways. It offers a fascinating chronicle of the development of scientific thought, a history that encompasses public health, science, diet, trade, expanding empires, war, and technology.From the preface:This is a medical detective story: beginning with the investigation of a disease that has killed or crippled at least a million people, and then following up clues that ranged much wider. One outcome was the production of a synthetic chemical that we now, nearly all of us, consume in small quantities each day in our food. The detectives had a variety of professions and spoke different languages. Their work ranged from studying the health of laborers in a primitive jungle to the painstaking dissection of individual grains of rice under a microscope. The integrated story of their struggles and successes, culled from old volumes in scattered libraries, forms the subject of this book.

Detailed Information

Author:Kenneth Carpenter
Publication Year:2000
ISBN:9780520220539
Pages:297
Language:English
File Size:2.099
Format:PDF
Price:FREE
Download Free PDF

Safe & Secure Download - No registration required

Why Choose PDFdrive for Your Free Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B: A Disease, a Cause, and a Cure Download?

  • 100% Free: No hidden fees or subscriptions required for one book every day.
  • No Registration: Immediate access is available without creating accounts for one book every day.
  • Safe and Secure: Clean downloads without malware or viruses
  • Multiple Formats: PDF, MOBI, Mpub,... optimized for all devices
  • Educational Resource: Supporting knowledge sharing and learning

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it really free to download Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B: A Disease, a Cause, and a Cure PDF?

Yes, on https://PDFdrive.to you can download Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B: A Disease, a Cause, and a Cure by Kenneth Carpenter completely free. We don't require any payment, subscription, or registration to access this PDF file. For 3 books every day.

How can I read Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B: A Disease, a Cause, and a Cure on my mobile device?

After downloading Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B: A Disease, a Cause, and a Cure PDF, you can open it with any PDF reader app on your phone or tablet. We recommend using Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple Books, or Google Play Books for the best reading experience.

Is this the full version of Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B: A Disease, a Cause, and a Cure?

Yes, this is the complete PDF version of Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B: A Disease, a Cause, and a Cure by Kenneth Carpenter. You will be able to read the entire content as in the printed version without missing any pages.

Is it legal to download Beriberi, White Rice, and Vitamin B: A Disease, a Cause, and a Cure PDF for free?

https://PDFdrive.to provides links to free educational resources available online. We do not store any files on our servers. Please be aware of copyright laws in your country before downloading.

The materials shared are intended for research, educational, and personal use in accordance with fair use principles.