B. N. MAJUMDAR, S. N. RAY AND K. C.
SEN
101
concentration of dietary calcium from 0.23 to 0.73
per cent depressed the total retention of fluorine
10 to 13 per cent.
The symptoms observed, in the animals of the
high fluorine group correspond with those reported
by Mahajan, In this connection, it is of interest
to quote a few lines from Sahai [1937-38]. This
investigator saw two cases in buffaloes which he
reported as osteojnalacia. ' In one of these there
were several bony growths over the ribs, while
the other suffered from general stiffness all over
the body, this stiffness having first started, in the
fore limbs and later spread to the hind, limbs.'
Presumably, none of the field workers, Mahajan,
Viswanathan and Sahai, examined, the long bones,
so that no reports are available as to whether
exostoses were found there also. It is probable
that the dosage in the high fluorine group, as used
by us, was so high that the animals died before
periosteal deposits on the ribs could take place.
With slower chronic intoxication, it is quite
possible that exostoses may be produced also on
the ribs. In this connection, mention may be
made of the one sample of ribs obtained, from
Hyderabad. The callus formed on it was quite
different from the beading observed in rickets or
osteomalacia in rats and resembled the exostoses
obtained by us in the fluorine fed animals.
Mineral composition of blood
The effect of feeding fluorine on the calcium and
inorganic phosphorus concentration of blood serum
was observed. Sera of the animals were examined
at the start of the experiment, and the animals
were then periodically bled and the blood consti-
tuents determined. It is known that One of the
first symptoms of rickets or osteomalacia is either
a drop in the serum calcium [Miles and. Feng,
1925] or a diminution of inorganic phosphorus in
the blood. In bovines, according to Malan,
Green and Du Toit [1928], hypophosphoraemia
precedes any outward clinical sign, there being
no noteworthy change in the calcium content.
Side by side with calcium and. phosphorus deter-
mination, the fluorine concentration of the whole
blood of the animals in. the different groups was
estimated.. This was done to study the effect of
fluorine feeding on. the concentration of this
mineral in. the blood. A lew determinations of
magnesium in the serum were also made. The
results are embodied in Table IV.
TABLE IV
Mineral composition of blood
No. of animal
89 . .
368 . .
400 . .
Average .
39 . .
88 . .
356 . .
Average
167 . .
180 . .
402 . .
Average .
148 . .
178 . .
391 . .
Average
Start
Ca
10.6
11.5
11.7
11.3
13.0
11.7
11.3
12.0
11.6
11.5
10.9
11.3
11.8
10.9
11.5
11.5
P
4.94
4.12
4.26
4.44
4.52
3.62
4.44
4.19
4.88
3.48
4.97
4.44
4.00
4.19
4.17
4.30
Mg
2.36
2.30
2.33
2.35
2.08
2.28
2.29
2. 22
2.43
2.44
2.33
2.30
2.35
2.32
2.16
2.28
F
0.15
0.18
0.23
0.19
0.14
0.18
0.11
0.14
0.12
0.11
0.09
0.11
0.13
0.12
0.08
0.11
2 months after
Ca P
F
A Control group
8.4
10.2
9.6
9.4
5.67
4.71
5.00
5.13
0.13
0.21
0.23
0.19
4 months after
Ca
10.8
10.5
10.2
10.5
B. Low flvorine group
9.2
8.3
10.3
9.3
5.19
5.76
4.60
5.19
0.10
0.22
0.17
0.18
12.3
12.3
12.7
12.4
C. High fluorine group
..
9.2
8.9
9.1
4.97
4.94
4.12
4.68
0.30
0.30
0.29
0.30
7.7
10.3
..
9.0
D. Calcium group
8.4
8.6
9.3
8.8
5.13
7.40
4.97
5.83
0.33
0.27
0.23
0.28
10.8
9.6
9.4
10.0
P
3.9
3.96
3.94
3.93
3.96
5.67
3.56
4.40
3.67
..
3.6
3.63
3.94
5.19
3.67
4.33
F
0.13
0.15
0.1.5
0.14
0.13
0.13
0.12
0.13
0.28
0.27
0.24
0.26
0.19
0.22
0.20
0.20
7 months after
Ca
9.1
11.0
11.0
10.4
11.4
10.8
10.7
11.0
9.9
9.6
8.6
9.4
11.3
10.4
8.9
10.2
P
5.33
3.19
3.66
4.73
3.32
6.2
4.91
4.81
3.7
5. 4
5.4
4.8
4.30
4.88
3.62
4.27
Mg
2.7
2.89
2.80
2.80
3.84
2.33
2.72
2.96
2.11
2.01
2.54
2.22
2.73
2.39
2.80
2.64
F
0.15
0.18
0.17
0.17
0.17
0.18
0.15
0.17
0.37
0.46
0.41
0.41
0.31
0.23
0.30
0.28
(Calcium mid magnesium are expressed in mg. per 100 c.c. serum and fluorine and phusphorus in mg. per
100 c.c. whole blood. Calcium was determined according to Clark and Collip's [ 1925] method, phosphorus by Fiske
and Subbarow's [ 1925] method and magnesium by Holzapfel's [1934] method.)