Abstract
VITAMIN C is the name given to a substance the lack of which causes scurvy. Svirbely and Szent-Györgyi have shown (NATURE, April 16 and May 7) that the hexuronic acid which was discovered by one of them, and is present in orange and lemon juice, is capable of preventing scurvy. Furthermore, they have shown that lemon juice has approximately the same antiscorbutic activity as the hexuronic acid present in it. In my opinion, no clearer demonstration could have been given of the identity of hexuronic acid and the vitamin. No circumstantial evidence can have much value against such a direct demonstration. The only possibility of doubt was with regard to the correctness of the experiment. However carefully an experiment is done, there is always the chance of an error, especially in such a subtle question as a deficiency disease. For this reason I asked Dr. S. S. Zilva to repeat our experiments, and supplied the necessary crystalline hexuronic acid. Dr. Zilva was kind enough to accept and undertake the work. As he reports above, his experiments were entirely confirmatory, so that no doubt is left whatever regarding the antiscorbutic activity and thus the vitamin nature of the hexuronic acid.
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SZENT-GYÖRGYI, A. Hexuronic Acid as the Antiscorbutic Factor. Nature 129, 943 (1932). https://doi.org/10.1038/129943c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/129943c0
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