Nutritional rickets is caused by a vitamin D deficiency, and people figured out two ways to treat it before we even knew what vitamin D was.

Research:
“Oldest UK case of rickets in Neolithic Tiree skeleton.” 9/10/2015. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-34208976
Carpenter, Kenneth J. “Harriette Chick and the Problem of Rickets.” The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 138, Issue 5, 827 – 832
Chesney, Russell W. “New thoughts concerning the epidemic of rickets: was the role of alum overlooked?.” Pediatric Nephrology. (2012) 27:3–6. DOI 10.1007/s00467-011-2004-9.
Craig, Wallace and Morris Belkin. “The Prevention and Cure of Rickets.” The Scientific Monthly , May, 1925, Vol. 20, No. 5 (May, 1925). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/7260
Davidson, Tish. "Rickets." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 6th ed., vol. 7, Gale, 2020, pp. 4485-4487. Gale OneFile: Health and Medicine, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX7986601644/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=811f7e02. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.
Friedman, Aaron. “A brief history of rickets.” Pediatric Nephrology (2020) 35:1835–1841. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-019-04366-9
Hawkes, Colin P, and Michael A Levine. “A painting of the Christ Child with bowed legs: Rickets in the Renaissance.” American journal of medical genetics. Part C, Seminars in medical genetics vol. 187,2 (2021): 216-218. doi:10.1002/ajmg.c.31894
Ihde, Aaron J. “Studies on the History of Rickets. I: Recognition of Rickets as a Deficiency Disease.” Pharmacy in History, 1974, Vol. 16, No. 3 (1974). https://www.jstor.org/stable/41108858
Ihde, Aaron J. “Studies on the History of Rickets. II : The Roles of Cod Liver Oil and Light.” Pharmacy in History, 1975, Vol. 17, No. 1 (1975). https://www.jstor.org/stable/41108885
Newton, Gil. “Diagnosing Rickets in Early Modern England: Statistical Evidence and Social Response.” Social History of Medicine Vol. 35, No. 2 pp. 566–588. https://academic.oup.com/shm/article/35/2/566/6381535
O'Riordan, Jeffrey L H, and Olav L M Bijvoet. “Rickets before the discovery of vitamin D.” BoneKEy reports vol. 3 478. 8 Jan. 2014, doi:10.1038/bonekey.2013.212.
Palm, T. “Etiology of Rickets.” Br Med J 1888; 2 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.2.1457.1247 (Published 01 December 1888)
Rajakumar, Kumaravel and Stephen B. Thomas. “Reemerging Nutritional Rickets: A Historical Perspective.” Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Published Online: April 2005 2005;159;(4):335-341. doi:10.1001/archpedi.159.4.335
Swinburne, Layinka M. “Rickets and the Fairfax family receipt books.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. Vol. 99. August 2006.
Tait, H. P.. “Daniel Whistler and His Contribution to Pædiatrics.” Edinburgh Medical Journal vol. 53,6 (1946): 325–330.
Warren, Christian. “No Magic Bolus: What the History of Rickets and Vitamin D Can Teach Us About Setting Standards.” Journal of Adolescent Health. 66 (2020) 379e380. https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(20)30038-0/pdf
Wheeler, Benjamin J et al. “A Brief History of Nutritional Rickets.” Frontiers in endocrinology vol. 10 795. 14 Nov. 2019, doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00795
World Health Organization. “The Magnitude and Distribution of Nutritoinal Rickets: Disease Burden in Infants, Children, and Adolescents.” 2019. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep27899.7
Zhang, M., Shen, F., Petryk, A., Tang, J., Chen, X., & Sergi, C. (2016). “English Disease”: Historical Notes on Rickets, the Bone–Lung Link and Child Neglect Issues. Nutrients, 8(11), 722. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8110722

Nutritional rickets is caused by a vitamin D deficiency, and people figured out two ways to treat it before we even knew what vitamin D was.
Research:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;Oldest UK case of rickets in Neolithic Tiree skeleton.&rdquo; 9/10/2015. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-34208976</li>
<li>Carpenter, Kenneth J. &ldquo;Harriette Chick and the Problem of Rickets.&rdquo; The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 138, Issue 5, 827 &ndash; 832</li>
<li>Chesney, Russell W. &ldquo;New thoughts concerning the epidemic of rickets: was the role of alum overlooked?.&rdquo; Pediatric Nephrology. (2012) 27:3&ndash;6. DOI 10.1007/s00467-011-2004-9.</li>
<li>Craig, Wallace and Morris Belkin. &ldquo;The Prevention and Cure of Rickets.&rdquo; The Scientific Monthly , May, 1925, Vol. 20, No. 5 (May, 1925). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/7260</li>
<li>Davidson, Tish. "Rickets." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 6th ed., vol. 7, Gale, 2020, pp. 4485-4487. Gale OneFile: Health and Medicine, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX7986601644/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&amp;sid=bookmark-GPS&amp;xid=811f7e02. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.</li>
<li>Friedman, Aaron. &ldquo;A brief history of rickets.&rdquo; Pediatric Nephrology (2020) 35:1835&ndash;1841. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-019-04366-9</li>
<li>Hawkes, Colin P, and Michael A Levine. &ldquo;A painting of the Christ Child with bowed legs: Rickets in the Renaissance.&rdquo; American journal of medical genetics. Part C, Seminars in medical genetics vol. 187,2 (2021): 216-218. doi:10.1002/ajmg.c.31894</li>
<li>Ihde, Aaron J. &ldquo;Studies on the History of Rickets. I: Recognition of Rickets as a Deficiency Disease.&rdquo; Pharmacy in History, 1974, Vol. 16, No. 3 (1974). https://www.jstor.org/stable/41108858</li>
<li>Ihde, Aaron J. &ldquo;Studies on the History of Rickets. II : The Roles of Cod Liver Oil and Light.&rdquo; Pharmacy in History, 1975, Vol. 17, No. 1 (1975). https://www.jstor.org/stable/41108885</li>
<li>Newton, Gil. &ldquo;Diagnosing Rickets in Early Modern England: Statistical Evidence and Social Response.&rdquo; Social History of Medicine Vol. 35, No. 2 pp. 566&ndash;588. https://academic.oup.com/shm/article/35/2/566/6381535</li>
<li>O'Riordan, Jeffrey L H, and Olav L M Bijvoet. &ldquo;Rickets before the discovery of vitamin D.&rdquo; BoneKEy reports vol. 3 478. 8 Jan. 2014, doi:10.1038/bonekey.2013.212.</li>
<li>Palm, T. &ldquo;Etiology of Rickets.&rdquo; Br Med J 1888; 2 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.2.1457.1247 (Published 01 December 1888)</li>
<li>Rajakumar, Kumaravel and Stephen B. Thomas. &ldquo;Reemerging Nutritional Rickets: A Historical Perspective.&rdquo; Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Published Online: April 2005 2005;159;(4):335-341. doi:10.1001/archpedi.159.4.335</li>
<li>Swinburne, Layinka M. &ldquo;Rickets and the Fairfax family receipt books.&rdquo; Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. Vol. 99. August 2006.</li>
<li>Tait, H. P.. &ldquo;Daniel Whistler and His Contribution to P&aelig;diatrics.&rdquo; Edinburgh Medical Journal vol. 53,6 (1946): 325&ndash;330.</li>
<li>Warren, Christian. &ldquo;No Magic Bolus: What the History of Rickets and Vitamin D Can Teach Us About Setting Standards.&rdquo; Journal of Adolescent Health. 66 (2020) 379e380. https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(20)30038-0/pdf</li>
<li>Wheeler, Benjamin J et al. &ldquo;A Brief History of Nutritional Rickets.&rdquo; Frontiers in endocrinology vol. 10 795. 14 Nov. 2019, doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00795</li>
<li>World Health Organization. &ldquo;The Magnitude and Distribution of Nutritoinal Rickets: Disease Burden in Infants, Children, and Adolescents.&rdquo; 2019. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep27899.7</li>
<li>Zhang, M., Shen, F., Petryk, A., Tang, J., Chen, X., &amp; Sergi, C. (2016). &ldquo;English Disease&rdquo;: Historical Notes on Rickets, the Bone&ndash;Lung Link and Child Neglect Issues. Nutrients, 8(11), 722. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8110722</li>
</ul>

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Nutritional rickets is caused by a vitamin D deficiency, and people figured out two ways to treat it before we even knew what vitamin D was.

Rickets

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