In January, 1921, during the course of experiments to test the antiscorbutic properties of certain food substances with guinea-pigs, it was observed that in those instances where pregnancy intervened the guinea-pigs presented a different picture than that of the usual fully developed scurvy. They did not become ill as soon as the nonpregnant animals of the same age, and the symptoms, such as swelling at the wrist, tenderness of the femurs, etc., were not nearly so severe. The difference was so definite and outstanding that we decided to make a special study of scurvy in a larger number of pregnant guinea-pigs, checked by control observations in nonpregnant scorbutic animals.
Our first effort, from March 15 to May 10, 1921, failed to produce an adequate number of pregnant guinea-pigs in a state of sufficiently advanced pregnancy and was unsuccessful in other respects.
A second attempt of this problem was not made