Über die Verhütung von Mückenstichen durch Einnahme von Vitamin B1

Translation by Matan Shelomi: Title: About preventing mosquito bites by taking vitamin B1 Text: The best vacation can be spoiled if the area concerned is rich in mosquitoes and other biting or stinging insects. Lapland is undoubtedly one of the most mosquito-rich regions in Europe. The tundra, which is covered with ponds, moors, and small lakes, becomes a real breeding ground for mosquitoes in the short but usually very hot summer. Anyone who has not experienced it during war or as a tourist can hardly imagine the myriads of mosquitoes that occur there. The native inhabitants of the country, the Lapps, therefore retreat to the mountains with their herds in summer, often having to cover hundreds of kilometers. But the tourist, who is used to the civilization of our time, does not have this possibility and tries to protect himself as much as possible against the little bloodsuckers with mosquito cream, mosquito veils, and constant smoking. After experiencing this annoyance in Lapland for two summers, I looked around for a preventive measure against the mosquito plague and came up with the advice that one could avoid the mosquitoes by taking vitamin B1. In July 1957, when I was with my wife on the border triangle between Sweden, Finland, and Norway in Kilpisjärvi and in Eastern Lapland on the Russian Border, I took a large supply of vitamin B1 with me in the form of "Betabion-forte-Tabletten." In accordance with Merck's suggestions, we started with 2times 50 mg without seeing any sure success. Only with 100mg twice daily of vitamin B1 did the biting-pressure ["Stechlust"] of the mosquitoes clearly subside from the second day on. On the third day, they just sat down on the skin, tapped the skin with their proboscis and immediately flew off again without stinging. We were not bitten by taking 200 mg of vitamin b1 daily, even in the mosquito-rich areas of western and eastern Lapland. But if we stopped taking vitamin B1 for more than a day, the sting began again. In the course of three weeks we made this "discharge attempt" 3 times with the same result. A dosage of less than 4 tablets of 50 mg each had no effect. Thus there is the impression that a certain blood level of vitamin B1 must be reached. Then the vitamin B1 (or a breakdown product?) us evidently excreted through the skin in such a concentration that it prevents the mosquitoes from biting. I am describing this little observation in such detail, for as far as I know overdose damage from vitamin B1 is not known, so that nothing stands in the way of a verification of these attempts. Should they prove to be true, vitamin B1 could not only protect against mosquitoes in our latitudes (tourists, anglers, etc.), but also may be used as harmless prophylaxis against mosquito species that transmit malaria and yellow fever. Summary: 100 mg B1 twice daily prevents the nuisance caused by mosquito bites and can be prophylactically recommended for anglers, tourists, etc.