16 SCIENCE BULLETIN, No. 12. 



INVESTIGATIONS UNDERTAKEN IN CONNECTION WITH 

 "OSTEO-MALACIA" or "BONE-CHEWING DISEASE" 

 ON THE SOUTH COAST. 



A. A. BAM SAY, Chief Assistant, Chemists' Branch. 



Investigations into the cause of Osteo-malacia (also known as " Bone- 

 chewing," " Rickets," and " Stiffs ") were commenced in 1908, and have 

 been carried on as time permitted np to the present time. The area dealt 

 with was the South Coast district, where the disease was particularly 

 manifest. These investigations were conducted on 



(a) The composition of soils from affected and non-affected areas. 

 (&) The composition of the grasses from affected and non-affected areas, 

 (c) The composition of bones of animals reared on affected and non- 

 affected areas. 



Soils. 



The composition of seventeen samples of soil from affected and seventeen 

 from unaffected areas is set forth in Table II of Dr. Jensen's paper. It will 

 be noticed that the difference is most marked. This is particularly so in 

 the fertilising ingredients, nitrogen, potash, lime, and phosphoric acid; the 

 soils from the affected areas containing very much less of these than do the 

 soils from the non-affected areas. This difference is also shown in the 

 water-soluble lime, phosphoric acid, and potash, as shown in Table V, the 

 quantities of lime and potash being less in the soils from the affected areas- 

 than in those from the non-affected areas. 



Another striking point of interest between these two classes of soils is in 

 the quantity of phosphoric acid and lime in the humus from affected and 

 non-affected areas. This is shown in Table VI. It is seen that again the 

 quantity of lime and phosphoric acid is less in the humus in the affected 

 soils than in that from the non-affected soils. 



!We have therefore established the fact that soils from the affected areas- 

 contain less fertilising ingredients, namely, nitrogen, lime, potash, and phos- 

 phoric acid, than do those from the non-affected areas, and are, in conse- 

 quence, likely to produce a less nutritious herbage. 



Soils from Affected and Unaffected Areas (South Coast). 



TABLE V. 

 Water-soluble lime, potash, and phosphoric acid. 



Lime(CaO) ... 

 Phosphoric Acid (P 3 5 ) 

 Potash (K 2 O) 



Averaee in Soils from 

 Affected Area. 



Parts per million. 



30-0 



4-3 



827 



Average in Soils from 

 Non-affected Area. 



Parts per million. 

 37-0 

 4'0 

 101-0 



