Rice polishing extractor, Changi

Drawing of two men operating improvised press for extracting vitamins from rice polishings The rice polishings supplied for the prisoners-of-war by the Japanese, were generally of very poor quality - many of the sick would not take them. Therefore a machine was constructed to squeeze the wet polishings in a press. First they were rolled in clothe and then placed in the barrel of the press. The performance was repeated three times. The rice polishings contained vitamin B1 which was woefully deficient in the general diet and the polishings were usually reserved for the sick, Changi, Singapore.