BIOCHEMICAL STUDY OF FLUORINE INTOXICATION*

                         II. METABOLISM OF FLUORINE

By A. MARIAKULANDAI, Ph.D., and P. VENKATARAMAIAH, M.A., Chemistry Section,
                        Agricultural Research Institute, Coimbatore

                    (Received for publication on 24th March 1954)

                                 (With three text figures)

INVESTIGATIONS done into the etiology of fluorine intoxication by the authors
(1939-1941) indicated that insufficiency of phosphorus in the ration and the
presence of fluorine in waters in toxic amounts are two main factors that cause the
affection in the cattle of Kurnool and adjoining tracts. To confirm this by controlled
study, an experiment was conducted in 1940-41 to induce fluorine intoxication arti-
ficially in calves, by feeding sodium fluoride solution, while noting side by side the
protective effect of bone meal in preventing the onset of the disease. Metabolism
studies were conducted on the animals both indirectly through balance experiments
and directly by slaughter technique. The gross symptoms of the intoxication were
also noted. These are presented in this paper.

                              MATERIALS AND METHODS

Urine and faeces were collected in the metabolism experiment. Bones, tissues
and organs were sampled for analysis at the time of the post-mortem examination
of the experimental calves. Blood was drawn from the jugular vein for analysis.

Fluorine was estimated by the Willard and Winter method [1933]. Blood
phosphate was assayed by Kay's method [1930]. The modified method of Larson
and Greenberg [1938] was used for estimation of serum calcium and the micro-
colorimetric method of Kuttner and Lichstenstein [1932] adopted for blood inorganic
phosphorus.

                                 PROCEDURE

Six calves of nearly the same age and size were procured and divided into
three groups of two each as follows:

* Work done from 1939 to 1942 under the financial aid of the Imperial Council of Agricultural
Research, New Delhi.

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