Chapter 16

Lilian took a deep breath and asked me a question, “Have you heard of beriberi?”

“Nope, never heard of it,” I answered.

“Oh Lord, did you ever take your science classes seriously?” she asked.

“Full disclosure: I was more into art; I was never a science student. What the heck is this beriberi anyway?” I asked.

“It is caused by a deficiency of Vitamin B1 or thiamine. There are three types of beriberi, at least I know of. We have the dry beriberi, which affects the nervous system, and the wet beriberi, which affects the cardiovascular system. We have the infantile beriberi in children. We also have the Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome, a type of beriberi that most commonly affects drunkards. The best way to prevent beriberi is through an adequate supply of meat and milk, and this is the same reason why we turn this meat and milk into powder and mix it into the chicken grains,” she explained.

That was a lot of science there, I must admit. I never knew science wa