Antipernicious Anemia Factor -

In 1849, British physician Thomas Addison provided the first clear description of the disease, which is why it was originally known as Addisonian anemia.

In 1930, researcher William Castle conducted clever experiments feeding patients predigested meat and gastric juices. He deduced that a normal stomach secretes an that must bind with an "Extrinsic Factor" (the antipernicious anemia factor in food) to allow the body to absorb it. Patients with pernicious anemia, he discovered, lacked this intrinsic factor due to stomach atrophy. 3. Isolation of Vitamin B12 (1948) Pernicious anemia: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia antipernicious anemia factor

For decades, physicians could do nothing but watch their patients die. The breakthrough came from a series of accidental discoveries and brilliant deductions. 1. The Liver Diet Breakthrough (1920s) In 1849, British physician Thomas Addison provided the

Hearing of this, Boston physicians George Minot and William Murphy decided to try feeding raw liver to human patients dying of pernicious anemia. To everyone's astonishment, patients forced to consume about a half-pound of raw liver daily made complete recoveries. Whipple, Minot, and Murphy shared the for this discovery. 2. Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Factors Patients with pernicious anemia, he discovered, lacked this

Eating massive amounts of raw or lightly cooked liver was nauseating and difficult for patients to sustain. Scientists knew there was a specific compound in the liver curing the disease—the "antipernicious anemia factor"—but they didn't know what it was.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, patients diagnosed with "pernicious" (meaning deadly) anemia faced a grim prognosis.

The journey to a cure began with George Whipple , who was studying blood regeneration in anemic dogs. Due to a happy laboratory accident where a technician fed the dogs raw liver instead of cooked food, Whipple realized that .