Abstract
In a previous communication 1 it was shown that rachitic rats may respond to small amounts of irradiated ergosterol by a marked rise of the inorganic phosphorus of the blood, unaccompanied by any signs of healing at the epiphyses. It has also been pointed out 2 by us that this phenomenon held true for infants who received dry milk which had been inadequately irradiated. In this communication we wish to add the observation that some infants which had been getting irradiated ergosterol (viosterol) for a period of several months, in the course of the winter, reacted in a similar way. These infants had been given small amounts of a standard preparation of irradiated ergosterol. Evidently in these instances this quantity was insufficient to afford complete protection; had a more potent preparation been given, complete protection would have resulted.
Irradiated foods and sterols have a tendency to raise the phosphorus in the blood, irrespective of and apart from their antirachitic action. Therefore, an analysis of the blood does not give reliable information as to the progress of the rachitic condition. Under these conditions, information in regard to the presence of rickets can best be obtained by means of direct clinical examination or roentgenologic pictures.
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