Sorby Research Institute facts for kids

The Sorby Research Institute was a science center in Sheffield, England. It operated during and right after World War II. The Institute mainly studied how people get the right food. This was very important because food was hard to find in Britain during the war. They did important experiments on not having enough vitamin A and vitamin C. They also did other medical research, like studying how scabies spreads.

The main scientists at the Institute were Kenneth Mellanby and Hans Adolf Krebs. The people who volunteered for the studies were mostly conscientious objectors. These were people who chose not to join the army because of their beliefs. Some of the experiments were difficult or even risky. The Institute closed in 1946, after the war ended.

History of the Institute

In early 1941, twelve volunteers moved into a big house in Sheffield. These volunteers were pacifist conscientious objectors. They were recruited to do research that would "benefit humanity." Different medical experiments were done on them. No work that helped the military directly was done. This was because many conscientious objectors would not agree to it.

This place became known as the Sorby Research Institute. It was named after Henry Clifton Sorby, a famous scientist from Sheffield. The main researcher, Kenneth Mellanby, was a Sorby Research Fellow at Sheffield University. Hans Adolf Krebs took over managing the volunteers in 1943. This happened when Mellanby left to work for the army.

Mellanby started the Institute himself. He was free to do any research he wanted at first. Mellanby was a scientist, so he was in a "reserved occupation." This meant he was not allowed to join the armed forces. He wanted to help with the war effort. But the military did not need biologists at that time. So, Mellanby started what he thought was useful work on his own.

The first study was about scabies. Mellanby was interested in head lice infestation, so scabies was a good topic for him. Another early study looked at how long shipwreck survivors could last without water. But the most important work was about nutrition. This included studying vitamin deficiency. Britain had strict food rationing during the war. So, the government needed to know how little food people could have. They also needed to know what would happen if people didn't get enough. The Medical Research Council asked the Institute to do this work.

The Sorby Research Institute kept working until early 1946. The building is now used as homes for students from Sheffield University.

Volunteers for Science

At first, there were 12 volunteers at the house. This number grew to 35, including three women. Walter Bartley was a technician and assistant to Mellanby. He later became a professor at Sheffield University. But he also volunteered for experiments. All the volunteers were young. The 19 men and one woman in the vitamin C study were between 17 and 34 years old.

Some volunteers had regular jobs outside the program. The others were expected to do chores in the house. They also helped the scientists by collecting information for the experiments.

Mellanby chose conscientious objectors for a reason. They were healthy young people who would not be taken away for military service. This meant they could stay for the whole experiment. The conscientious objectors wanted to take part. They felt it was a way to help that was as important as military service.

Today, many of these experiments would not be allowed. This is because of modern rules about how to treat people in studies. Some experiments were risky for the volunteers. However, John Pemberton, who worked at the Institute, said no one was permanently hurt. In 2006, Pemberton tried to find the volunteers who were still alive. He found only four. All of them said they thought the work was "worthwhile." They also said they would have "volunteered again" if asked.

Important Research

Vitamin Deficiency Studies

Scientists did several studies on not having enough vitamins. One study looked at the effects of not having enough vitamin A. It also tried to find the best way to treat it. In that study, 23 men and women volunteered to eat a diet without vitamin A. This experiment lasted much longer than planned. It went from July 1942 to October 1944. The only clear effect was some loss of night vision after about eight months.

A similar study was done on vitamin C. It lasted from October 1944 to February 1946. Scientists made small wounds on the volunteers to see how vitamin C affected healing. Ten of the twenty volunteers had no vitamin C at all. Their wounds bled easily. But the study found that a daily dose of ten milligrams was enough. This amount could stop or reverse scurvy in many cases.

The vitamin C research led to an important change. Children started getting free orange juice. The Medical Research Council used the Institute's research. They set official daily amounts for vitamins A and C that people should have.

Scabies Research

Scabies is a skin disease caused by tiny mites called Sarcoptes scabiei. These mites burrow into the skin. People who have it say it causes "almost unbearable" itching. The experiment on scabies happened in 1941. Its goal was to find out how scabies spreads. It also looked for possible treatments.

The researchers had trouble making volunteers get infected with scabies. One way that worked was to have volunteers wear used, unwashed underwear from someone with scabies.

Mellanby later used what he learned from this research. He helped treat soldiers who had scabies. The disease was very common among soldiers. Before this, there was no good treatment. He even set up a military hospital for it. He also sent army doctors to the Institute for training.

Water Deprivation Experiment

This experiment happened in 1942. Its goal was to find the least amount of water a person needs to survive. Many ships were being sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic by German forces. Many sailors who survived spent a long time in lifeboats. Because of this, the study was called the shipwreck experiment. A key question was how long sailors could survive on only the emergency food in lifeboats.

The volunteers in this study had no fluids for three and a half days. They were only allowed to eat dried emergency foods. These included sea biscuits and chocolate.

Of all the experiments at the Institute, the volunteers liked the water deprivation experiment the least.

Wheat Extraction Study

Wheat extraction rate is how much grist (ground grain) becomes flour in a flour mill. A high extraction rate makes brown flour and brown bread. 100% extraction is called wholemeal flour. 70% extraction makes white bread and flour. This was important for Britain during the war. Britain needed to import wheat to survive. A higher extraction rate meant fewer ships were needed to bring grain. German U-boats were sinking ships very quickly.

In 1942, the Institute was asked to study the nutritional value of high extraction wheat. Because of this research, a "national wheatmeal loaf" was introduced. This bread used 85% extraction wheat. It cost the same as white bread to encourage people to buy it. Usually, brown bread was more expensive. The research looked at how easy the bread was to digest. It also studied how well the body absorbed calcium from it.

Some nutritionists did not like this change. They knew that a diet with high extraction, high fibre foods could lead to poor absorption of vitamin D. This could cause rickets. However, saving ships and lives was more important during the war. This was true as long as the effects were not immediately harmful. The results of the wheat extraction research greatly helped Britain's war effort. It was calculated that raising the extraction rate from 75% to 85% saved the equivalent of forty Liberty ships.

Other Studies

Some other experiments were also done. These included studies on how the body reacts to severe injury.