Beriberi
BERIBERIA, BERRI- BERING breathing, by general œdema, by paralytic weakness, and by numbness of the lower extremities. The percentage of mortality, which used to be very high, has been greatly reduced in recent years. Although the exact cause of the malady has not yet been discovered-in spite of exhaustive research-it is now generally agreed that its origin is dietetic. It is believed that fish and rice are primarily responsible for the disease. It occurs frequently in Ceylon among the colored troops, and on some portions of the Indian coast, but spasmodically in all parts of the world.