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Rickets Essay

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In the mid sixteenth century Rickets, a bone deforming disease was first described by F. Glisson in children who started to migrate to city centers due to industrial revolution1. The implication of exposure to the sunlight in the prevention and cure of this disease was first recognized by Sniadecki in 1822 2. Later these observations were extended by Palm in 1890 who concluded that rickets in children was due to the lack of sun exposure and promoted the systemic use of sun baths to prevent rickets3. Although cod-liver oil has been used medicinally for a long time, D scheutte in 1824 was the first to recommend it for the treatment of rickets4. In 1906 Hopkins postulated the presence of essential dietary factors necessary for the cure of diseases such as scurvy or rickets5. The concept that …show more content…

He proposed that exposure to UV radiation was effective against all forms of rickets in children. The most surprising observation was made by three different laboratories in 1924 where Goldblatt and Soames, Hess and Weinstock exposed variety of food, such as wheat, lettuce, olive, linseed oil and other substances like human and rat plasma to ultraviolet radiation. Both groups found that the ultraviolet radiation imparted antirachitic activity of the substances9-11. Working with the animal experiment, Steenbock and Black in 1916 found a strong connection between sunlight and calcium retention in goats12. With this background, Steenbock began to irradiate rats, their food and the air in their cages with UV light13. He concluded that an inactive lipid in the diet and skin could be converted by UV light into an active antirachitic substance and patented this process. He recommended that irradiation of milk might be an excellent method to provide vitamin D to children and to prevent

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