A 30 year old man with a 15 year history of alcohol abuse presented with symptoms and signs of circulatory shock, severe disturbances of renal and liver functions, and metabolic acidosis. The cardiovascular and metabolic features were attributable to Shoshin beriberi. He recovered completely after treatment with thiamine.

The modern science of nutrition may be regarded as having developed within the past three decades. Approximately thirty years ago McCollum, and Osborne and Mendel made the initial discoveries upon which the modern animal-feeding technics are based. Use of these newer methods has since resulted in the discovery and development of what is essentially a new science. In any brief treatment of the t...

Animal models (bioassays) have been of great service to humanity in all sorts of scientific-related advancements. Aves, specifically chickens, played an important role in vitamin discoveries, as it was the first species to be used in 1890’s to study beriberi. We briefly review its 30-year trajectory as an investigational tool in science and medicine.

Introduction In 2012 we celebrate the centenary of Dr Casimir Funk’s discovery of the 'vitamine'. Funk was the first to suggest the existence of a family of organic substances that are essential for life, which the world now takes for granted. He was thus the godfather of the vitamin movement. Funk conceived the concept of “vital amines”; essential nutrients with a specific action, requiring on...