Tetany Due to Deficiency in Magnesium

In 1932 Kruse, Orent and McCollum1induced tetany in rats and dogs by feeding them a diet free of magnesium. Sjollema and Seekles2discovered that calves reared on whole milk, which is low in magnesium, frequently showed severe symptoms of accompanied with low values for the plasma magnesium. Sjollema also described grass tetany, a disease occurring spontaneously in cattle, characterized by severe tetanic symptoms and low blood magnesium. This form of however, is not generally recognized as occurring in human beings; Best and Taylor3in 1939 stated that it had not been reported in the human subject. In a search of the available literature, however, reports were found of a few cases which might fit this classification. Denis and Talbot4reported several cases of tetany in patients showing low values for plasma magnesium. Hirschfelder and Haury5listed 10 cases of convulsions and twitching