Irvine T. Wilson, age 10, of Sandston, Virginia, for his question:

Can too many vitamins be harmful?

Spinach, they say, is rich in vitamins. But no sensible person would eat spinach and only spinach, even if he liked it. His body would starve for want of a balanced diet of different foods. Too much spinach, then, can be harmful. Too much oxygen can be harmful and even too much water can be harmful. We need these wonderful things in the proper amounts. But too much, even of the best things, is always harmful.

We need, absolutely need, small doses of assorted vitamins with our food. But no sensible person would try a diet of vitamins alone. And no sensible person would take more than he is told to take. The dosage is always printed on the bottle and the people who sell the pills know that too many of them can be harmful indeed. The best way to solve the problem is to ask your doctor. He will say whether you need vitamin pills, tell you which kind to buy and how many to take. Chances are, he will say that you already get enough vitamins, but not too many, in your food.