WHAT IS RICKETS, AND HOW CAN IT BE TREATED?

Rickets is a bone disease that usually attacks artificially fed children, it being most common between the ages six to fifteen months. The soft spots on the head (footanels) do not close up when they should. Bones of the legs become crooked and the abdomen enlarged. The child is weak and under-sized. The disease is often due to malnutrition and may be caused by insufficient exposure to sunlight.
TREATMENT
Since the disease is due to not receiving the right kind of food, (food which contains bone-building materials) the first thing to do is to give the patient sufficient milk. Also give some fruit juice several times a day. Eggs should also be given. By way of medication there children should be given 15 to 30 drops of halibut-liver oil or a teaspoonful of shark-liver oil daily. This may be given in the milk, well shaken up, or by teaspoon. Cod-liver oil may be given up to 1 and1/2 teaspoonfuls twice daily. The child should have 5000 units of vitamin D daily.