The name is absent

184 Vitamins in Human Nutrition
thought whether a chronic mild deficiency of thiamin might
not cause a sufficient interference with the normal health of
our nervous systems to render them less resistant to virus
infections.

When a deficiency of thiamin is discovered it is desirable
to administer the vitamin in rather large doses until a
normal condition is restored. A daily dose of 10 milligrams
(3000 units) is considered conservative for abolishing an
accumulated deficit. Even such a huge dose as 90 milligrams
seems to be perfectly harmless. The neuritis disappears
very rapidly unless the nervous system has been severely
injured by a long-continued deficiency. The appetite returns
as by magic, and the languor, weakness, and easy exhaustion
are soon improved. Large doses of thiamin injected into
the blood are a perfect sedative for cases of delirium
tremens, and surpass any other treatment in obliterating
writhing snakes and pink elephants from the minds of those
who have been too long wedded to Ethyl Alcohol.

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