The Director of Medical Services of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force directed that a committee of medical men in the British Army make a study of the prevalence of pellagra among Turkish prisoners of war (16). This report was made by Boyd and Lelean, who concluded that the maximum distribution of pellagra appeared to correspond geographically to the broad belts where maize grew best, and hence formed the larger proportion of food in the classes most pellagrous. They attributed pellagra to starvation for protein, especially to a low intake of protein of low biological value. It was believed that on this theory the frequent occurrence of pellagra among those who ate mouldy maize could be explained by a lower utilization of the proteins of spoiled grain than of unspoiled. The occurrence of pellagra among those who had never eaten maize could be explained as a consequence of their securing through some dietetic error a protein supply of low biological value.