Beri-Beri

Eijkman was not certain that the symptoms exhibited by the sick chickens were due to beriberi, but decided to investigate further.  He noticed that chickens at the research station survived almost entirely on a diet of rice, and determined to see if there might be a link between diet and the disease.  

Eijkman examined health reports from Indonesian prisons  and noticed that beriberi was reported in 34 of 63 prisons where polished rice was served, but was rarely reported among 27 other prisons where red, unhusked rice was served.  The prisoners, like the chickens at his research station, survived on a diet consisting almost entirely of rice.