T40 



FRANCIS H. McCRUDDEN 



that the process in osteomalacia is one of simple halisteresis comparable 

 with the action of an acid on dead bone. It is impossible to imagine how 

 an acid can dissolve the calcium phosphate and leave the more soluble 

 magnesium phosphate undissolved. Furthermore, if we could imagine 

 such a condition, then, when the calcium was decreased in amount to one- 

 half the normal, the relative amount of magnesium would be only doubled. 

 But our tables show an increase in the magnesium .of more than four- 

 fold, which means that there is an increased deposition of magnesium. 

 Some investigators analyzed the dried bone (Table 7), and others analyzed 

 the ash; of the latter, some report their results in terms of magnesium 

 oxid (Table 8), and others in terms of magnesium phosphate (Table 9). 

 Tables 10 and 11 bring out especially well the enormous increase in the 

 magnesium content of the bone; in Table 10 the average relative increase 

 is nine-fold, in Table 11 thirty-fold. 



TABLE 7 



PERCENTAGE OF MAGNESIUM OXID IN DRIED BONE 



TABLE 8 



PERCENTAGE OF MAGNESIUM OXID IN BONE ASH 



TABLE 9 

 PERCENTAGE OF MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE IN BONE ASH 



