It seems fairly clear that certain known circumstances have an influence on the course of multiple sclerosis. Those usually mentioned are infection, pregnancy, chilling, toxemia, emotional disturbance and trauma, the importance of all but trauma being well attested. Also, in recent times, the possibility that there may be a nutritional element has been rather widely discussed, although Dattner1 alone has formally suggested it. Others, especially Goodale and Slater, Stern and Moore, have implied such a factor by treating patients with liver or vitamins. The experiments on animals of Mellany and of Zimmerman have suggested a similar possibility. It must be admitted, however, that the actual evidence favoring this point of view is still meager. Actual studies of the diets of patients with multiple sclerosis have not been made.
Our attention was focused on this phase of the problem by the statement of a patient with multiple sclerosis that he