Müller-Landgraf I
Medizinhistorisches Institut, Universität Bern.
Ther Umsch. 1994 Jul;51(7):459-61.
The history of the discovery of vitamins was initiated by the observation that beriberi is caused by qualitatively poor nutrition rather than by microorganisms. An early theory suggested the formation of toxins by improper cooking, preservation, or storage; however, research soon took another turn. Feeding experiments with standardized food pointed at the existence of 'accessory factors', present in food in small amounts. These factors seemed to be essential for the maintenance of metabolic processes, yet could not be synthesized by the organism. This was the initial spark for a worldwide research boom. The period from 1912 to 1948 saw the isolation and identification of individual factors belonging to a variety of chemical classes collectively labeled as 'vitamins'.
脚气病是由营养质量差而非微生物引起的。早期理论认为，不当的烹饪、保存或储存会产生毒素；然而，研究很快转向了另一个方向。用标准化食物进行的喂养实验表明，食物中存在少量的“辅助因子”。这些因子似乎对维持代谢过程至关重要，但生物体无法合成。这是引发全球研究热潮的最初火花。从1912年到1948年，人们分离并鉴定了属于各种化学类别的单个因子，这些因子统称为“维生素”。
