240
Fluorosis of Cattle in the Madras Presidency
and in some instances photophobia. The course
of this disease runs from a few months to a few
years, but in buffaloes the duration is shorter.
POST MORTEM FINDINGS
Due to religious sentiments of the people the
writer had some difficulty in getting affected
animals for destruction and post mortem exami-
nation. An opportunity was, however, availed
for examining post mortem of two animals
destroyed in extremis in a very badly affected
village. In both, the internal organs appeared
to be normal and the lesions were confined to
the skeleton only. The following is the pro-
tocol of post mortem findings.
Case No. 1. The hip and shoulder joints were
severely inflammed, metatarsal bone and the
knee joints showed bony exostosis and diffuse
periostitis and the nodular prominences present
on the ribs were porous in character. The median
suture in the skull showed a tendency to give
way and the mandibles of the lower jaw were
disunited at the symphysis. The epiphysis of
the left humerus had the tendency to separate
from the proximal end and those of the radius
and ulna at their distal ends. The cancellated
tissue in the interior of the long bones was found
infiltrated with a lardacious material.
Case No. 2. Of the ribs examined, one
showed partial fracture about its middle at two
places and another showed the two fractured
ends, one riding over the other with callus for-
mation around them. None of the long bones
showed any exostosis but numerous obsteo¬
phytes were found on the non-articular surface
of one of the ospedis bones.
The cancellated
tissue of the long bones showed infiltration with
lardacious material.
ETIOLOGY AND EPIZOOTIOLOGY
In this rheumatic affection of cattle, the etio-
logical factors likely to be considered are (1)
in balance of diet with regards to its mineral
contents (2) deficiency of phosphorus (3) defi-
ciency of vitamins and (4) fluoride poisoning.
From investigations carried out by the Gov-
ernment Agricultural Chemist, Coimbatore on
samples of pasture grass from affected and
healthy areas, it has been shown [Ramiah.
19411 that the former contains a high Ca and
low P and the latter normal values for these
minerals.
Similarly, 14 samples of other
fodders sent to the same worker for analysis
revealed a striking unbalance with regard to
these minerals.
Again, a survey of pastures
of Malabar and Kurnool districts carried out by
the Government Agricultural Chemist showed
a shortage, if not the actual deficiency of these
minerals. In the former district both CaO and
P 2 O 5 were low, whereas in the latter a shortage
of P 2 O 5 only was revealed.
The deficiency of P in the pasture leads to
lowering of inorganic P value of blood, and in
order to obtain further evidence regarding the
etiological significance of this factor, blood
samples from affected and normal animals were
analysed by the Government Agricultural Che-
mist, Coimbatore with the result that whereas
in the latter Ca and P both showed a normal
value, in the former, P content was found to be
low. In certain number of cases the P value
was found to be below 1 mg. per 100 c.c. of
blood. Blood samples sent from Madras cases
for analysis at the Imperial Veterinary Research
Institute, Izatnagar, showed no variation from
normal; but those sent from Hyderabad, where
a similar disease occurs, proved deficient in P.
Vitamin A deficiency was suspected to play a
part in causation of this disease as the number
of cases are less in the rainy season when the
animals usually ingest plenty of green fodder.
Analysis of well water and soil samples from
certain affected localities have revealed the pre-
sence of fluorine in a concentration higher than
the amount present in those of healthy areas.
Representative rocks and soils of an area
stretching from Kurnool division to Markapur
revealed on analysis a high content of fluorine.
According to the Govt. Agricultural Chemist,
Coimbatore [Ramiah, 1938-39] the Cuddapah-
Kurnool system of sedimentary rocks shows a
high flourine content, ranging up to 960 part per
million or about 500 times that of well water.
Work carried out at the King Institute of Pre-
ventive Medicine. Guindy, show that the
highest fluorine concentration is to be found to
lie in the narrow belt of granitoid rocks stretch-
ing north. north-east from south of Kanigiri.
Nellore and to the Krishna river near Amrawati
in Guntur.
The presence of fluorides in high
toxic quantities in certain areas, especially
North Nellore and isolated places in Cuddapah
and Anantpur has also been noticed.
Analysis of well water samples by the Govt.
Agricultural Chemist [Ramiah, 1938-39] reveals
a flourine content ranging from 0.5 to 2 parts per
million in samples from the affected areas, and
a little or none from those of healthy ones.
Table I shows the fluorine content of water
samples collected from various Talukas in four
endemic areas of the Presidency: