Name: _____________________________________________
Scientific Method In Action
The Strange Case of BeriBeri
In 1887 a strange nerve disease attacked the people in the Dutch
East Indies. The disease was beriberi. Symptoms of the disease
included weakness and loss of appetite, victims often died of
heart failure. Scientists thought the disease might be caused by
bacteria. They injected chickens with bacteria from the blood of
patients with beriberi. The injected chickens became sick.
However, so did a group of chickens that were not injected with
bacteria.
One of the scientists, Dr. Eijkman, designed a new experiment
based on his own observations. Before the experiment, all the
chickens had eaten whole-grain rice, but during the experiment, the chickens were fed polished
rice. Dr. Eijkman researched this interesting case and found that polished rice lacked thiamine,
a vitamin necessary for good health.
1. State the question or problem that Dr. Eijkman investigated.
2. What was the original hypothesis?
3. What was the manipulated (independent) variable and the ressponding (dependent) variable?
4. Write a statement that summarizes the results of the experiment.
5. How would Dr. Eijkman test his new hypothesis?
