Evidence of Rickets Prior to 1650

Abstract

When Whistler published his slim Leyden graduate thesis on rickets in 1645, which was followed by Glisson's adequate volume in 1650, the origin of what was then called "an entirely new disease" was attributed to conditions having little relation to diet and sunshine. But, by the end of the eighteenth century, authorities were able to conclude that climate and especially dampness had much to do with the origin of rickets, and that improper food also had some part in its etiology.From the time of the first description of this malady, the theory that rickets was an inheritable ailment has persisted with singular tenacity. The influence of maternal heredity still claims attention, even though modern experimental science seems to have proved that the disease is a disturbance of calcium and phosphorus metabolism caused by lack of a mysterious substance in the diet and a lack of sufficient sunshine on the surface of the body. The theory that it is a purely inheritable condition has not been substantiated by the animal experiments conducted by Hess and Weinstock.1 The hypothesis of Schmorl,-that rickets is a manifestation of a deficient mineral deposit at birth, which is shown in some infants to a greater degree than in others and which is most marked in those prematurely born, served to revive the persistent and recurring idea that maternal influence in the production of rickets is not negligible even though the disease may not be strictly inheritable. The fact that rickets was found in nursing infants of Central Europe to a marked degree after the late war, and especially in regions in which food shortage and dietetic imbalance had prevailed among the civilian population, served to focus attention on the implication of a maternal rôle in the production of this disease. Suggestive recent work of Mitchell, Greenbaum et al,3 would indicate that, while nearly all children ultimately develop incipient rickets, infants born of mothers who were fed on a low and insufficient caloric ration develop a type of the disease which is unusually resistant to the ordinary methods of treatment.

“English Disease”: Historical Notes on Rickets, the Bone–Lung Link and Child Neglect Issues

“…Indeed, a number of diseases, including rickets, were brilliantly known in ancient China. Iconography of the industrial cities of Germany and Holland, at least 200 years before Whistler’s description, definitely support the thesis that rickets existed to some extent at all times and periods of the world’s history [46,53,54]. …”

“…Children who were frail were often confined indoor with poor exposure to sunlight. Another remarkable pre-Whistler rickets case may have been represented in Caravaggio’s Amore dormiente [44,45,46]. …”

Rickets in the 17th Century

“…W hereas we are now very familiar with the condition we call rickets, that was not so in the early 17th century, when it seemed to be a new disease in England. It has been suggested that the condition had been described in early Chinese writings and in Roman times and that rickets was depicted (1) in paintings from the 15th century, but it is difficult to accept any of these suggestions with complete confidence. However, the original 17th century manuscripts and publications still exist in London libraries and they make it possible to review the position at that time.…”

Nutritional Rickets: An Old Disease Returns

“…Presumptive rickets has also been described from skeletons associated with Indian tribes in both North and South America. 1 In the 1870s, rickets was widespread in the United States; in Philadelphia, 25% of the children were described as rachitic. Between 1910 and 1961, rickets was cited as the cause of death of more than 13,000 children.…”