In order to make quite clear how damaging are the results of diets which are deficient or lacking in protective substances we shall have a word about rickets and scurvy, the two diseases due to faulty diet, that are so serious for babies. =Rickets= is a nutritional disturbance, common among babies who are fed solely or continuously on heated milk, either boiled or canned, and on proprietary food and sweetened condensed milk. Rickets may develop, also, among nursing babies whose mothers are on faulty diets. The chief characteristics of the disease are arrested growth and softening of the bones, with dwarfism and deformities as a result. It is essentially a disease of infancy, occurring as a rule, between the fourth and eighteenth months but some of its unfavorable effects, such as bone deformities and poor resistance to disease, may persist throughout life. Although babies rarely die of rickets alone, it is one of the most serious of all health problems since it predisposes to such diseases as bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, measles and whooping cough and in general greatly weakens the powers of resistance and recuperation. The common, early symptoms of rickets are irritability; restlessness, particularly at night; a tendency to have convulsions from very slight causes; digestive disturbances and profuse perspiration about the head. The baby may be fat, but is likely to be flabby and have a characteristically white, “pasty” color. The fontanelles are large and late in closing; the abdomen is large and the chest narrow; teething is usually delayed and the teeth may be soft, when they do come in, and decay early. But the most conspicuous effect of rickets is upon the bones which are soft, easily bent and broken and often misshapen. Their growth is likely to be retarded and the ends of the long bones may be enlarged, causing swollen wrists and ankles and the little lumps on the chest, so commonly called a “rickety rosary.” The bones in the arms and legs may become curved as the baby lies or sits in his crib, making him either bow-legged or knock-kneed. Since the soft bones are easily bent their deformity is increased by the baby’s walking or by the bunch which may be formed between the thighs by a large, improperly applied diaper. The spinal column may be curved, or too weak to permit the baby to sit straight or stand alone. The entire chest wall is often deformed, producing the familiar “chicken-breast” and so decreasing the size of the chest that the baby’s breathing space is cut down. This is one reason why pneumonia is so serious with a baby who has, or has had rickets. The forehead is prominent and the whole head looks square and larger than normal, while the pelvic deformities in girl babies often give rise to very serious obstetrical complications later in life. All of this, with the misery which it entails, is due to faulty nutrition.