Experimental rickets / by Edward Mellanby.

  • Mellanby, Edward, Sir, 1884-1955.
Date:
1921
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Experimental rickets / by Edward Mellanby. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    that of 825 is normal (Figs. 46 and 50). After being anaesthetized for this radiograph to be taken, the puppy (821) became ill and never ate its whole diet again. It was killed six weeks later, its weight having fallen from 8,850 grm. to 2,780. The fresh shaft of the femur was found to contain only 5-9 per cent, of GaO, one of the lowest figures obtained in this research. The heated and oxidized butter had apparently lost an element which influences the calcification of bone. Comparative radiographs of 821 (oxidized butter) and 825 (fresh butter) are seen in Figs. 46 and 50. Comparison between (1) Cod-liver Oil, (2) Cod-liver Oil heated TO 120° C. FOR FOUR HOURS, AlR BEING PASSED THROUGH IT DURING THIS TIME, (3) PEA-NUT OlL, (4) OLIVE OlL, (5) COCO-NUT Oil, (6) Cotton-seed Oil. General Diet. Separated milk 175 c.c. Lean meat 10-15 grm. Bread 75-180 grm. Salt 1 grm. Orange juice 5 c.c. Retrievers—7 weeks old at start of experiment. Confined to kennels throughout experiment. Weight Radiographic result No. of General Initial after after 10 weeks experiment. Diet. Weight. 10 weeks. of .diet. 336 (Fig. 52) + 10 c.c. cod-liver oil . 1 2,430 5,020 Normal. 337 ( „ 53) + 10 c.c. oxidized cod-liver oil 1,930 4,650 Normal. 338 ( „ 54) + 10 c.c. pea-nut oil . • 2,310 4,920 Practically normal. 339 ( „ 55) + 10 c.c. olive oil . • 1,930 4,520 Fairly bad rickets. 340 ( „ 56) + 10 c.c. coco-nut oil . » 1,620 4,520 Slight rickets, 341 ( „ 57) + 10 c.c. cotton-seed oil • 1,800 4,420 Slight rickets, Radiographic results which agree with the histological findings are shown in Figs. 52-57. The diet was well controlled during the experimental period of ten weeks, as can be seen in the growth curves of these puppies, Fig. 58. Except that the coco-nut oil puppy (340) put on rather more weight than the others, there is good parallelism in rate of growth among them all. The radiographic results are in close agreement with those obtained in experiments of the same type previously described. Olive oil is the worst of these vegetable oils and pea-nut is the best. In view of the destruction of the Fat-soluble A vitamine when butter is heated to 120° and oxidized at the same time, it is surprising that the radiograph of 337, in which case cod-liver oil treated in this way was eaten, shows no indication of rickets or defective calcification. Whether this difference between butter and cod-liver oil can be simply explained by the fact that cod-liver oil contains a much greater quantity of anti-rachitic vitamine than butter, so that the destructive change takes a longer time, or whether some other explanation must be sought, is not known. After ten weeks of the experimental feeding these puppies were anaesthetized for radiographic examination. 339 (olive) died under the anaesthetic, and 341 (cotton-seed), after recovery from the anaesthetic, became ill and gradually lost weight. After fourteen weeks of the diet the