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Science Fiction, Jr., v. 1, issue 1, June-July 1942

Page 6

SCIENCE FICTION JR.  2

crackers of corn meal to swine.   The swine soon showed all the symptoms of Alkali disease.    But this had nothing to do with the corn mold which is much more widely distributed than the disease Peters corn was obtained from 'Alkali Farms' so that the diseasing of livestock could be explained entirely aside from the presence of
the fungus. That Peters was actually wrong was proven later by feeding yolks of
diseased chicken eggs to rate which died from Alkali disease   In the case of the chickens the birds are not attacked directly by the disease, but by their eggs. It is very improbable that the fungus pores [spores?] should find their way to the ovariums and to the yolks of the eggs and it is absolutely impossible that any mold, even if present in the eggs, could survive ten minutes of boiling.   But the rats died just the same; proof that the poison is not destroyed at least by ordinary cooking.
     Two years ago the problem was attacked again by Dr. Kurt W. Franke, chemist of South Dakota agricultural experiment station, in a long series of experiments which eventually led to a solution of Alkali Disease. 
     Rats were chosen for the experiments because it is known that they eat almost
anything, and that they are not very easily killed. They were fed with porridge of corn from the affected areas and none of them survived more than a hundred days of this diet.   That the rats did not die from any other causes was proven by two swarms of rats that lived under exactly the same conditions but were fed with corn meal from other areas.   One cage was fed as much as the rats wanted to eat while the third cage received only the quantities as consumed of the poisoned corn by tho
inhabitants of the first oage.    Both control swarms did not show the least sign of Illness.
     Thus the disease was studied very carefully step by step and was already very well known with all its symptoms to the experimenters, but the nature of the poison was still unknown until renewed, very careful chemical analyses gave a clue. Following this clue other experiments were made and in 1935 it could be reported officially that the cause of Alkali Disease was no longer a mystery. It was found
that it was element No. 34, discovered in 1817 by the Swedish chemist Baron Jons
Jacob Berzelius and christened, Selenium.
     Selenium, famous on account of its varying conductivity for electricity under varying intensity of illumination is not usually found in the soil of farming country. Usually it Is found associated with sulfur or with copper ores i.e. in areas where
farming is unlikely. But in the northern parts of the praries selenium occurs in some places in the soil, though in minute quantities.
    It is not harmful to the plants growing on this soil but since the plants cannot make any use of It in their chemistry they store it in leaves and seeds*.
     While Selenium constitutes only about two mlllionths of the soil in the 'Alkalized' areas the plants contain nine mlllionths.   Wheat seems to have the highest "Storing Capacity" because in wheat plants Selenium was found in as large a percentage as 45 mlllionths. stored on a soil that did not contain more than one
millionth.
     As yet no cure for selenium disease, as the malady has been termed, has been found, but there is no immediate need for a cure, especially since those domestic animals that were kept for work can be replaced easily by machinery these days.
     The corn produced on those farms cannot be regarded as unfit for human consumption because It is inevitably mixed with huge quantities of corn from other areas in the mill and later in the bakeries. Even if eaten "pure" it would constitute only a small fraction of human diet that it would not cause any harm.
     There is no known case of selenium disease reported from any place outside the United States as yet. But since selenium is also found in Europe it is possible that these American researches may prove beneficial also for European agriculture.

*****
"Where there is no vision 
the people perish."

Saving...

SCIENCE FICTION JR. 2 crackers of corn meal to swine. The swine soon showed all the symptoms of Alkali disease. But this had nothing to do with the corn mold which is much more widely distributed than the disease Peters corn was obtained from 'Alkali Farms' so that the diseasing of livestock could be explained entirely aside from the presence of the fungus. That Peters was actually wrong was proven later by feeding yolks of diseased chicken eggs to rate which died from Alkali disease In the case of the chickens the birds are not attacked directly by the disease, but by their eggs. It is very improbable that the fungus pores [spores?] should find their way to the ovariums and to the yolks of the eggs and it is absolutely impossible that any mold, even if present in the eggs, could survive ten minutes of boiling. But the rats died just the same; proof that the poison is not destroyed at least by ordinary cooking. Two years ago the problem was attacked again by Dr. Kurt W. Franke, chemist of South Dakota agricultural experiment station, in a long series of experiments which eventually led to a solution of Alkali Disease. Rats were chosen for the experiments because it is known that they eat almost anything, and that they are not very easily killed. They were fed with porridge of corn from the affected areas and none of them survived more than a hundred days of this diet. That the rats did not die from any other causes was proven by two swarms of rats that lived under exactly the same conditions but were fed with corn meal from other areas. One cage was fed as much as the rats wanted to eat while the third cage received only the quantities as consumed of the poisoned corn by tho inhabitants of the first oage. Both control swarms did not show the least sign of Illness. Thus the disease was studied very carefully step by step and was already very well known with all its symptoms to the experimenters, but the nature of the poison was still unknown until renewed, very careful chemical analyses gave a clue. Following this clue other experiments were made and in 1935 it could be reported officially that the cause of Alkali Disease was no longer a mystery. It was found that it was element No. 34, discovered in 1817 by the Swedish chemist Baron Jons Jacob Berzelius and christened, Selenium. Selenium, famous on account of its varying conductivity for electricity under varying intensity of illumination is not usually found in the soil of farming country. Usually it Is found associated with sulfur or with copper ores i.e. in areas where farming is unlikely. But in the northern parts of the praries selenium occurs in some places in the soil, though in minute quantities. It is not harmful to the plants growing on this soil but since the plants cannot make any use of It in their chemistry they store it in leaves and seeds*. While Selenium constitutes only about two mlllionths of the soil in the 'Alkalized' areas the plants contain nine mlllionths. Wheat seems to have the highest "Storing Capacity" because in wheat plants Selenium was found in as large a percentage as 45 mlllionths. stored on a soil that did not contain more than one millionth. As yet no cure for selenium disease, as the malady has been termed, has been found, but there is no immediate need for a cure, especially since those domestic animals that were kept for work can be replaced easily by machinery these days. The corn produced on those farms cannot be regarded as unfit for human consumption because It is inevitably mixed with huge quantities of corn from other areas in the mill and later in the bakeries. Even if eaten "pure" it would constitute only a small fraction of human diet that it would not cause any harm. There is no known case of selenium disease reported from any place outside the United States as yet. But since selenium is also found in Europe it is possible that these American researches may prove beneficial also for European agriculture. ***** "Where there is no vision the people perish."