B. N. MAJUMDAR AND S. N.
RAY
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remained so until the sixth month, after which another decline set in until the final value was
again significantly below the initial level. The fluctuation in the value all the while, how-
ever, lay within the normal range [Dukes, 1943]. No systematic examinations" were done
with the adult animals, but a few occasional estimations revealed no change in the sugar
content. From the findings of Pal, Mullick and Momin [1945], it seems that the fluctua-
tion of sugar content in the blood of calves cannot be ascribed to seasonal variation. Gol-
demoerg [1928] found transient byper-glycaemia in a kid given sodium fluoride at 0.06
g./kg. while Magenta [1921] found a similar effect in a dog injected intravenously with
sodium fluoride. Under acute intoxication of rabbits, Foit [1931] observed hyper glycaemia
which reached a maximum one hour after intravenous injection. On the other hand,
Luy and Thormahlen [1932] noticed no change in the blood sugar of a cow given fluoric
factory dust in its food. In vitro, fluorides are known to inhibit glycolysis. As only
slight changes were found in the sugar contents, it appears that the system rapidly adjusts
itself and prevents the occurrence of hyper-glycemia.
The figures for lactic acid showed wide individual variations, as well as considerable
fluctuations from one period to another. As, however, no definite trend was noticeable, it
is not surprising that satistical analyses yielded significant conclusion either in the case of
the calves or the hill bulls. The only reference on record is that of Foit [1931], who found in
rabbits a rise in blood lactic acid after intravenous injections of sodium fluoride.
Total protein
No significant difference from the normal was found in animals of any group.
Creatinine
The results regarding the creatinine content of blood were rather peculiar. In calves,
the values showed an increase immediately after fluorine feeding was started. The values,
however, remained more or less unchanged at this high level all through the experimental
period. In the case of most of the adults no such change was observed, except for the
high phosphorus group. In these animals statistically significant decrease in blood creatin-
ine was seen from the sixth month onward.
Chlorides.
In calves, the chloride content of blood was found to show a significant increase from
the fourth month. This upward trend was maintained but for an inexplicable drop in the
eighth month. In adults, no variations could be noticed, but, as estimations were started
after the animals were on experiment for four months, it is difficult to say whether a rise
similar to those seen in calves had taken place.
It must, however, be mentioned that all the values for creatinine and chlorides were
within the normal range [Dukes, 1943]. The trend towards higher values indicates abnormal
excretion due to renal oysfunction. In the present case the increase in values was very
slight, and impairment of function, therefore, was not pronounced. Pathological changes in
the kidney have been found in fluorosis [Kick, Bethke and Edgington, 1933, Marconi,
1930, Slagsvold, 1934].
Calcium and phosphorus
Neither in the calves nor in the adults was any significant difference noticed in blood
calcium. In the adults, the same was true for blood inorganic phosphorus. These results
support our earlier observations [Majumdar, Ray and Sen, 1943]. In the calves, however,
as soon as they took to fluorotic diet, blood inorganic phosphorus began to fall rather
sharply at first and gradually later until the second month. Thereafter, it started to rise
again and got stabilized to a slightly lower value than the initial and was within the normal
limits found by Mullick and Pal [1943].
In acute fluorine intoxication, produced by intravenous injection of large quantities of
fluoride salts, a considerable reduction of calcium content of blood was seen in dogs [Gers-
chmann, 1930; Pavlovic and Bogdanovic, 1932] and in rabbits [Jodlvauer, 1931; Foid, 1931],
Gerschmann [1930] found an increase in the inorganic phosphorus of the experimental
animals, whereas Pavlovic and Bogdanovic [1932] observed a definite reduction. In chronic in-
toxication, however, the differences recorded by these workers were less pronounced. Hauck,
Steenbock and Parsons [1933] and Chaimeles [1930] found no definite changes in the serum
calcium of the rat, even on prolonged feeding, Phillips [1932] found a tendency towards a
fall in serum calcium in heifers, and Bogdanovic [1935] found an increase in the serum
calcium in dogs fed small quantities of fluorine. The recorded observations in the change