Cure of Infantile Rickets by Sunlight. 



33 



The infants were placed in the direct sunlight for a half hour 

 to several hours, the period varying according to the intensity of 

 the sun and the sensitiveness of the skin. Previous to treatment 

 the majority of infants showed the usual clinical symptoms of mild 

 rickets and the characteristic signs on x-ray examination. Such, 

 however, was not invariably the case; it has been our experience 

 that infants may manifest the classical signs of rickets, accompa- 

 nied by a low inorganic phosphate content of the blood, and, 

 nevertheless, show apparently normal epiphyses at the wrists and 

 other joints. In the course of the sun treatment the babies be- 

 came markedly tanned, the rachitic signs diminished or disap- 

 peared, and the general condition improved. 



The accompanying table, which shows successive examinations 

 of the blood, requires little interpretation (Table II). It will be 



table II. 



Blood Phosphorus of Rachitic Infants Treated with Sunlight. 



Name. 



Age 





Inorganic P. 





Acid 



Total. 1 





(mos.). 



6/22 



7/21 



8/n 



9/16 



10/18 



Sol. 1 





F.R 



7 



2.80 



3-75 



4.14 



4-13 





15-7 



43-6 



P.F 



5 



3-7 



3-4 



4.16 



4.22 





230 



41.0 



LA 



13 



2.77 



2-75 



3-53 



4- 





15-2 



43-6 



M.L 



8 



3-1 



3-18 



3-75 



4.28 





15.0 



36.0 



R.M 



•15 



3-0 



3-02 



3.16 



3-87 





14-5 



44.6 



CM 



37 



3-4 







3-77 



4-3 



193 



52.0 



T.M 



7 



3-o 







3-9 



4.0 



16.6 



38.5 



M.E 



18 





4.0 







3-77 2 



15.2 



56.8 



H.G 



15 



4.6 









3-6Q 2 



15-9 



39-0 



seen that the inorganic phosphorus of the rachitic infants steadily 

 increased from month to month, starting generally below 3.5 mg. 

 per 100 c.c. of blood and gradually being restored to the normal 

 level which must be considered about 4.0 mg. On the other hand, 

 the results of the determinations of " acid-soluble" and of total 

 phosphorus are not sufficiently definite to warrant deductions. 

 There were no alterations in the diet throughout these periods, 

 the infants receiving the usual milk formulas ; all were given orange 

 juice daily, the older children getting cereal in addition. 



It is evident that sunlight not only brings about a cure of the 

 rachitic lesions, but in so doing occasions chemical changes in the 



1 Tests made with blood used for the first inorganic P. determination. 



2 Previous to treatment. 



