The administration of vitamin B1 by intraspinal injection: Observations and deductions

The widespread publicity given by the daily press to the inaccurate, optimistic accounts of medical research frequently arouses false hopes in those afflicted with the disorders which happen to be the subjects of the scientific investigation unfortunately exploited for sensational news value. Our attention was directed to the intraspinal injection of vitamin b₁ in the treatment of chronic neurologic disorders by patients who had such disorders and who had learned of the injections through the accounts in their newspapers. A survey of the medical and scientific literature indicated that there was a relationship between vitamin Bi and metabolism in the neural tissues, that a “biochemical lesion” in the central nervous system was caused by Bi hypovitaminosis, that the clinical manifestations of beriberi (absolute Bi hypovitaminosis) included nervous symptoms now acknowledged to be remarkably similar to those seen in degenerative neurologic disorders, and that the use of vitamin Bi in some disorders of the peripheral nerves, for example the neuritides, brings about improvement. The intraspinal injection of vitamin b₁, in the light of the survey, seemed to merit consideration, particularly since reports of improvement following such therapy appeared in the medical literature. The administration of vitamin Bi by intraspinal injections (and other avenues as well) was evaluated in a group of patients suffering from chronic neurologic disorders. Our experience with this type of therapy has led to several conclusions.