102
fluorine Intoxicution of Cattle in India
It is at once apparent that oven a month
before their death, the animals on the high fluorine
diet scarcely showed any lowering of blood phos-
phorus. The calcium concentration was slightly
lowered, but the extent of this lowering could not
be considered significant. The magnesium con-
tent is definitely lower than that of either the
control or of the low flourine groups, but the most
significant change is the increase by about 400
per cent in the flourine content of the blood. A
noteworthy feature is that the concentration was
found to have increased as early as two months
(or perhaps even earlier) after fluorine feeding
was started, i.e. at a period when no other
symptoms, except some loss in weight, of flourine
intoxication were noticeable. On the other hand,
in the low fluorine group where the animals did
not show any pathological symptoms during the
whole period of nine months, the concentration of
minerals in the serum and blood hardly differed
from the figures obtained from the control ani-
mals. If anything, the animals of the low fluorine
group showed slightly higher Ca, P and Mg con-
centrations in the blood serum. It is evident,
therefore, that the dosage of flourine given to the
low fluorine group animals was too small to bring
about symptoms of fluorine intoxication and that,
perhaps in low doses, flourine may even have a
slightly beneficial effect on calcium and phospho-
rus metabolism. The recent observation that
low amounts of fluorine inhibit the development of
dental carries support this hypothesis [McClure,
1941]. The low fluorine feeding is, however,
being continued for a further period in order to
find out whether there is any cumulative effect
from the fluorine ingestion.
In the calcium group of animals in spite of a
much higher calcium intake, the concentrations
of Ca, P and Mg are very similar to those of the
control animals. The flourine concentration is
intermediate between those seen in the control
or low fluorine group and those in the high fluorine
group. This bears out our previous statement that
calcium compounds administered simultaneously
with the fluorine diminishes the toxicity of sodium
fluoride. This is probably brought about by the
precipitation of a portion of fluorine as calcium
fluoride in the gut, thereby reducing the amount
available to the animal system The increased
concentration of the blood fluorine, together with
the appearance of symptoms of mild fluorosis
after about nine months of experimental feeding,
shows, however, that even an excess of calcium
cannot immobilize the whole of the fluorine and
that sufficient was absorbed by the animals to
produce conditions of mild intoxication. It is
quite possible that the amounts of fluorine
fed by us to the high fluorine group may have
been in excess of that consumed by the animals
in the endemic fluorosis regions, and that animals
given lower doses of fluorine might have been saved
from the effects of toxicosis by the administra-
tion of sufficient quantities of bone meal or of
some other calcium supplement.
The blood analysis figures, incidentally, fore-
shadow a diagnostic method for detecting fluorosis
in its earlier stages. This is especially important
when if is realized that the fluorine concentration
of the blood of normal animals is independent of
such variable factors as age, sex, period of lacta-
tion, etc. (Table III). Moreover, as has just been
shown, the administration of amounts of fluorine
low enough to produce any sign of toxicosis has
no effect on the fluorine concentration of the blood.
The fact that the fluorine concentration in blood
varies with the severity of the symptoms
is also of great value for diagnostic purposes.
Analysis of bones and teeth
Samples of bones and teeth from the three ani-
mals on the high fluorine group were analysed for
their calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and fluorine
contents. The bones and teeth from two animals
of the control group and two animals from each
of the calcium and low fluorine groups were also
examined. The exostosis on the bone of one of
the high fluroine group animals was sawn off and
was also analysed separately. The results are
given in Table V.
It appears, therefore, that a high fluorine intake
causes no significant changes in the calcium and
phosphorus contents of the bones. Our results
resemble those of Kick, Bethke and Edginton
[1933] who working with pigs also found no change
in the calcium and phosphorus contents of the
bones of the control and fluorine-fed animals
These workers, however, found an increase in the
magnesium content of bones of the fiuorine-fed
animals. Similar difference has been observed
by us in our animals also, but the administration
of extra calcium is found to bring the magnesium
content to the normal level. Like them, we found
in the fluorine-fed animals a decrease in the car-
bonate contents of bones (only the pelvic bones
were examined).
Here again the figures for the
calcium group of animals resembled those of
the control group. Further work is, however, in
progress.
Like other workers, we have found that the
fluorine concentration of the bones and teeth in-
creases very considerably on ingestion of fluorme
In the case of the pelvis, the increase in our high
fluorine group is 7-18 times more than the fluorine
concentration in the pelvis from control animals of
the same age group (of Table II). The con-
centrations in the femur and vertebrae are
similarly increased. The increase in the fluorine