VITAMINES 238 VITELLIUS ing the fourth volume, when he died, Aug. 17, 1892. VITAMINES, nitrogenous bodies which occur in certain foodstuffs. They were first discovered tn 1912 by Gow- land Hopkins in milk, and although their exact chemical nature is still, to a large extent, a hidden mystery, their enormous importance in the process of nutrition is well recognized. Three distinct types of vitamines have been discovered, and all three must be present in food in order that proper growth of the animal body may take place and that certain diseases may be avoided. The three types are known as (1) Fat-soluble A, or growth- promoting vitamines; (2) Water-soluble B, or anti-neuritic vitamines; (3) Water- soluble C, or anti-scorbutic vitamines. Fat soluble A occurs in butter, in va- rious animal oils, such as whale-oil and cod-liver oil, and in many vegetables, es- pecially in spinach, but is not found in refined vegetable oils. For this reason, butter is preferable to vegetable marga- rines, especially for growing children. Water soluble B is found in the embryo of cereals, while one of the richest sources of this vitamine is yeast. Water- soluble C occurs in many fruits and vegetables, orange and lemon juices be- ing especially rich sources. An immense amount of experimental work has been carried out to demonstrate the important role which vitamines play in the process of nutrition, of which the following are a few examples: E. Mellanby found that puppies fed on a diet deficient in fat-soluble A rapidly developed rickets, but when butter or cod-liver oil was added to their diet, the symptoms quick- ly disappeared. Pigeons and cats when deprived of water-soluble B develop polyneuritis, but rapidly recover when fed small quantities of yeast or extracts of yeast. A very striking illustration of the effect of water-soluble B occurred during the World War. In Decem- ber, 1915, there was an outbreak of beri- beri among the British troops in Mesopo- tamia, but among the Indian troops in the same region the disease was practi- cally unknown. The theory was put for- ward that the difference was due to the fact that the British troops were fed highly refined white flour, while the In- dian troops used a flour containing the germ and the aleurone layer. During 1916 the British troops were given a ration of yeast extract. In the follow- ing winter, instead of a second outbreak of beriberi, there were only a very few mild cases and not a single death. Many similar experiences have occurred. The Indian troops in France suffered severe- ly, for a time, from scurvy, due to the fact that their diet lacked the wateis soluble C, or anti-scorbutic vitamine. The addition of fresh limes to their diet re- sulted in a marked falling off of the dis- ease. VITEBSK, before the World War a province of western Russia, surrounded by Pskov, Smolensk, Mohilev, Minsk, Vilna, Courland, and Livonia; area, 16,- 983 square miles; pop. about 2,000,000. The surface is in general hilly; in the depressions are numerous marshes and more than 2,500 lakes, of which the larg- est are Lubahan, Rasno, Nevel, Sebesh and Osvea. The chief rivers are the Duna, Mesha, Kasplja, Ulla, Drissa and Evst. The soil is far from fertile, and the harvests, except under the most fa- vorable conditions, are insufficient for the wants of the population. The prin- cipal occupations are agriculture, cattle rearing, hunting and fishing, besides tan- ning, weaving and the manufacture of brandy and tobacco. Flax, linseed, hides, building timber, and fancy wares are ex- ported. VITEBSK, capital of the province of Vitebsk, lies on both sides of the Duna, 79 miles N. W. of Smolensk. It has many churches, several synogogues, an old palace, a theater, a gymnasium, and a hospital, manufactures of mead and leather, and an active transit trade. Pop. about 120,000. VITELLIN. See GLOBULIN. VITELLIUS, AULTJS, a Roman em- peror; son of Lucius Vitellius, the con- sul (34) ; born A. D. 15. At that dark AULUS VITELLIUS period of Roman history vice and not virtue was the passport to royal favor, and the son like the father was a master of the arts of servile cringing and abject
