THE VITAMIN B1 REQUIREMENT DURING INSULIN SHOCK THERAPY
WALTER GOLDFARB M. D.1, and
KARL M. BOWMAN M. D.1
1 The psychiatric division, Bellevue Hospital and the department of psychiatry, New York University.
Evidence has been presented that certain EKG changes which occur during the course of insulin shock therapy are not due to the administration of insulin, per se, but are due to the fact that large amounts of glucose, a vitamin free substance, are used to rouse the patients from coma. It seems probable that the large caloric intake free of vitamin B caused a relative insufficiency, and that the EKG changes are due to the vitamin B deficiency.
