Beriberi, white rice, and vitamin B

"In this account of the history and treatment of beriberi, Kenneth J. Carpenter traces the decades of medical and chemical research that solved the puzzle posed by this mysterious disease. Caused by the lack of a minute quantity of the chemical thiamin, or vitamin B[subscript 1], in the diet, beriberi is characterized by weakness and loss of feeling in the feet and legs, then swelling from fluid retention, and finally heart failure." "Beriberi is a story of contested knowledge and erratic scientific pathways. It offers a chronicle of the development of scientific thought, a history that encompasses public health, science, diet, trade, expanding empires, war, and technology."--Jacket.