WHOOPING-COUGH AND RICKETS.

The etiologic relation between precedent whooping-cough and gastrointestinal disease and succeeding rickets, as observed by Lowman and published in the Journal¹, is worthy of more than passing attention. The effects of rickets are more often observed in America than the disease itself, for the reason that physicians are not commonly on the lookout for it, and that it occurs insidiously and often without the cardinal symptoms. The cases reported by Lowman were all in well-to-do families and among properly fed and housed infants. It was perfectly clear that the disease was directly due to the depressing effects of the prolonged cough, and to the disturbance of nutrition that accompanies whooping-cough, and in some cases to the limitation in diet made necessary by disease of the stomach and intestines. Attention should be directed to this important and serious possible sequel of whooping-cough and of intestinal indigestion. The relation has not heretofore