Symptoms. 



959 



more so that they become bent or fractured on sudden motion, 

 especially on rising or lying down, sometimes even for appar- 

 ently very insignificant causes. The ribs and the transverse 

 processes of the lumbar vertebrae can at times be depressed 

 easily and even retain finger impressions. In goats the pliability 

 of the skull bones may reach such a high degree that the an- 

 terior portion of the inferior maxilla may be bent or turned 

 in an angle of 90° (Richter). Fractures occur most frequently 

 in the pelvic bones near the acetabulum, in the ribs, and in 

 the proximal long bones of the extremities, also, especially in 

 horses, not infrequently in the vertebral column. Multiple 

 fractures or bulgings are observed fairly often in the ribs and 

 on the pelvis. The fractures do not appear to cause much 



Fin-. 169. 



Fig. 169. Osteomalacia in a cow, whose skeleton is illustrated in Fig. 165. Asym- 

 metry of the pelvis; bulging of the left hip; the posterior extremities are crossed. 



Fig. 170. Osteomalacia. Bulging of facial bones in a horse. (After Moussu.) 



pain, but they further diminish the power of motion which 

 has already been reduced by the spontaneous pain, because they 

 usually either heal not at all or imperfectly. 



Deformities occur relatively most frequently in the bones 

 of the extremities, the ribs and the vertebral column. In the 

 later course of the disease, bulging of the skull bones ("big- 

 head") is observed exceptionally in cattle, frequently in horses, 



