LAMZIEKTE IN CATTLE 191 



pica disappear after a few weeks. Each of the mineral 

 constituents of the food which eliminated pica were tested 

 separately; common salt, magnesium sulphate, iron 

 sulphate, sulphur and calcium carbonate were all tried 

 but with only negative results; sodium phosphate how- 

 ever, reduced the bone-craving almost completely in six 

 weeks. Here again it was a compound of phosphorus; 

 which eliminated the pica, and I have already 

 mentioned that this substance was recommended by 

 Hutcheon as a remedy for lamziekte. 



Further experiments were carried out with a view to 

 testing the effect of phosphorus administered in various 

 ways : Pica disappeared in a short space of time after 

 dosing with calciuni phosphate, sodium phosphate and 

 phosphoric acid, the last named substance can only be 

 given Avith good results during the dry period of the year, 

 if it is given during the rainy period the animals will 

 drink rainwater and refuse to drink the water mixed with 

 phosphoric acid, with the result that pica reappears. 

 Phosphorus may also be administered by an indirect 

 method: the pasture is manured with fertilisers which 

 contain phosphorus, and the animals obtain it indirectly 

 through the grass. Bone cravers were turned into two 

 camps which had been manured with phosphates, after a 

 short time the animals were free from pica, whereas the 

 craving somewhat increased in the control animals which 

 were grazing in a non-manured camp. This method can- 

 not be recommended to farmers as it would prove much 

 too expensive to manure big lamziekte farms with phos- 

 phates. The result is, however, very important from the 

 theoretical point of view. 



Many substances recommended as remedies by farmers 

 were also tried: — prickly pear, herbs, coal, sulphur, salt, 

 glauber-salt, hycol, cream of tartar, etc., etc., were all 

 tested without having any effect whatsoever. Hj^dro- 

 chloric acid and nitric acid gave no relief, and negative 

 results were also obtained with sodium oxalate or slaked 



