38 PERSONAL APPEARANCES IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. 



framework, and therefore of the whole body, is the disease 

 of infancy called rickets, to which allusion has already 

 been made. In this affection the whole skeleton, at 

 its period of most active growth, when the soft carti- 

 laginous and membranous structures which are ultimately 

 to become firm bone, still form a large part of the 

 framework, suffers from lack of proper material for the 

 formation of bone, and grows exuberantly but yet not 

 firmly, and the evil results that ensue are due in great 

 measure to the unnatural softness of these structures 

 combined with their great abundance. There is abundant 

 material to form bone, but it is bad material ; there is 

 active growth, but it is a perverted activity. 



Some of its effects have already been mentioned ; 

 others will be met with later on. One of these effects is a 

 curvature of the spine, not to one side, as we saw resulted 

 from muscular weakness, but a bending forwards, giving 

 the appearance of the spine " growing out," as it is 

 popularly termed. A sharper angle in this direction, 

 leading to considerable deformity, is produced by actual 

 disease of the bones of the spinal column. Such curva- 

 tures are called " angular curvatures," distinguishing 

 them from the " lateral" bendings before mentioned. 

 " Knock-knees " and " bowed legs " are mostly due to 

 rickets (see Fig. 3) ; their names sufficiently indicate the 

 deformities they produce. 



