| Abstrakt: |
It has been shown repeatedly that ultraviolet radiation brings about healing of rickets and also that irradiation of cholesterol by ultraviolet light renders it antirachitic. Recently, one of the authors1has developed a means for producing high voltage cathode rays outside of the generating tube. It seemed interesting to study the effect of these rays on experimental rickets in rats, first when applied directly, and second when used for the activation of cholesterol.Rats from 4 to 5 weeks old and weighing from 40 to 60 gm. were put on the Steenbock rachitic diet No. 2965 (2) and after four weeks showed advanced rickets, as evidenced by radiographic examination. Various exposures of the rachitic rats to the cathode rays were tried, but in only one case was the slightest evidence of healing observed. These experiments are summarized in Table I.The rats were rayed on the abdominal area every day but Sunday, of the experimental period, for the tirne given in the third column.The effect of the catholde ray upon the animal tissue was quite marked even with the shortest exposures. The first effect is a brown coloration of the hair. Later there may be falling out of hair, inflammation of the exposed area, with exucfate coming from the skin, and scab formation. The largest exposures used, at the different voltages, caused so much damage to the rats, that it clearly would not have been feasible to use appreciably greater dosage.The conclusion seems justified that, with voltages of 100, 200 and 350 thousand, rickets in rats cannot be cured by direct treatment with cathode rays. |
