96
Fluorine Intoxication of Cattle in India
observed closely resembled those seen by Mahajan.
Viswanathan did not carry out post-mortem
examinations but, on clinical grounds, considered
the trouble to be due to one of the following causes:
(a) a deficiency or excess of calcium, (b) a de-
ficiency of phosphorus or (c) vitamin deficiency.
As a result of these two reports, a further investiga-
tion on mineral deficiency in relation to the disease
was considered necessary.
In 1937, Shortt et al. [1937] published a paper
describing cases of chronic fluorosis in human
beings in Madras Presidency. When it was realiz-
ed that the endemic districts were adjacent to
those areas in which osteomalacia had been diag-
nosed by Mahajan and synchronized with those
where Viswanathan had observed his so-called
' rheumatic arthritis ', the possibility of the condi-
tion under review being due to fluorosis could not
be overlooked. When, moreover, the disease was
noticed in young calves (osteomalacia being a
disease of adults) and brown pigmentations were
observed on the teeth of the affected animals, the
condition was definitely diagnosed as fluorosis.
Additional support to this diagnosis was provided
by an examination of one sample of water from
an affected area, in which a concentration of
fluorine as high as 2.5 p.p.m. was found [Viswa-
nathan, 1938-39].
Acting upon the advice of the Director of Veteri-
nary Services, Hyderabad, Mahajan visited the
village of Kopnur, where the disease, so long called
osteomalacia, was prevalent. Evidence of endemic
fluorosis was also apparent in children and in a
few adults [Mahajan, 1938-39]. The fluorine
concentration of samples of water collected was
found to be as high as 2 p.p.m. Samples of teeth
from cases of rheumatic arthritis received about the
same time from the Veterinary Investigation
Officer, Madras, had fluorine concentration much
higher than that in normal calves as reported by
western workers. As no data was available re-
garding the fluorine content of the teeth and bones
of normal animals in India, an investigation along
that line was instituted. At the same time, an
attempt was made to produce the pathological
symptoms described by the field workers by ex-
perimentally feeding known amounts of fluorine to
cattle. The results of these investigations form
the subject matter of this paper. While the work
was under progress, we learnt of a similar type of
feeding investigation started by the Government
Agricultural Chemist, Coimbatore [Ramiah, 1939-
40, 1940-41]. As a result of our work, as well as
of that carried out in Coimbatore, it is evident
that the conditions described by Mahajan and
others were produced by chronic fluorine intoxica¬
tion.
In the light of the present investigation, it
appears necessary to re-examine the cases of osteo-
malacia from other parts of India. For example
Sahai [1937-38] reported two cases of osteomalacia
in buffaloes, one in Bihar-Shariff in the district
of Patna and the other near Nawada in the district
of Gaya. Similarly, Khan [1937-38] observed
cases of unthriftiness and poor condition in cattle
in certain villages of the Kangra valley and
suspected a mild form of osteomalacia. In this
connection, mention may be made of the survey
by Wilson [1939] who observed cases of mottled
enamel of the teeth in these regions. She also
reported a high concentration of fluorine in the
drinking water. The Deputy Director, Veterinary
and Animal Husbandry Services, Baroda State
had reported to this Institute of a similar trouble
in the Amreli district of the Baroda State. Water
samples from this area, examined for their fluorine
contents, exhibited the medium high range of
0.6-0.9 p.p.m. The Veterinary Investigation
Officer, Central Provinces, also came across cases
of stiffness of joints, lameness, etc in cattle in
some villages of Chanda district of that province.
Analysis of water from an ' affected ' village
revealed the high concentration of 1.1 p.p.m. of
fluorine. It will be of interest to determine whe-
ther there are also other authentic fluorosis areas
A curious feature about the distribution of these
suspected fluorosis zones may be mentioned. All
these places are situated at an altitude of between
600-1,200 ft. above sea level in the vicinity of
mountain ranges. Thus Alampur in Hyderabad
(Deccan) and Kurnool in Madras are all near the
Nalamalai hills, Bihar-Shariff and Nawada in
Bihar are near the Rajgir Hills, Kangra is in the
valley of the Punjab hills, while Amreli in Baroda
is near the Girnar hills. All the localities mention¬
ed are over 600 ft. Many of these places are
moreover, near sites of old volcanic regions and
hot or sulphur springs are still in existence in the
vicinity. It is thus possible, as suggested by
Wilson [1939], that in all these regions there is a
substratum of rocks which includes lavas and
associated granites and chryolites giving rise to an
increased fluorine content of the soil and water
A map of India showing the reported distribution
of the so-called osteomalacia and rheumatic
arthritis in cattle is given in Fig. 1. In view of the
findings at Madras, Hyderabad and Kangra
it appears possible that evidence of fluorine poison-
ing of both cattle and human beings will be found
in Baroda, C. P. and Bihar as well and a survey of
these areas is thus indicated.