Vitamin A as an anti-infective agent : its use in the treatment of puerperal septicaemia / by E. Mellanby and H.N. Green.

  • Mellanby, Edward, Sir, 1884-1955.
Date:
[1929?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Vitamin A as an anti-infective agent : its use in the treatment of puerperal septicaemia / by E. Mellanby and H.N. Green. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Reprinted from the BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, June 1st, 1929. VITAMIN A AS AN ANTI-INFECTIVE AGENT. ITS USE IN THE TREATMENT OF PUERPERAL SEPTICAEMIA. BY E. MELLANBY, M.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.S., AND H. N. GREEN, M.D., Cu.B., M.Sc. (From the Pharmacology Department, University of Sheffield.) (Preliminary Communication.) Last year we published an account of an experimental investigation on animals, which suggested that an important function of vitamin A was to raise the resistance—either local or general, or both—to bacterial infection.1 Animals deprived only of this vitamin died ultimately with multiple foci of infection, whereas control animals receiving vitamin A remained in good health, free from infection. Aniiqals which had developed infective lesions, if given in time,abundant vitamin A, usually recovered completely. In the publication referred to we dealt with the work of other, investigators on the subject, and this will not be repeated here. 'Reference may, however, be made to one fact which has been described since that date. A discussion has ranged round the question of whether in animals deprived of vitamin A the epithelial hyperplasia precedes the local infection in the same position or vice versa. Tyson and Smith have found histological evidence of infection pre¬ ceding the epithelial changes in the tongue and kidney.2 The Basis of the Investigation. The results of our animal experiments seemed to be sufficiently impressive to warrant an investigation to deter¬ mine whether vitamin A had any specific action in human infection. Some general clinical evidence in various types of infection, and particularly in pneumonia, lent support to the idea that preparations rich in vitamin A had a definite effect in increasing the general resistance and [269/29]