The occasional report in the literature of pathologic fractures of the spine as a result of the loss of calcium associated with tumor of the parathyroid glands seems to have given rise to the impression that this is a rare and strange condition. It is my purpose to point out that pathologic fractures resulting from the loss of calcium from the spinal column are not uncommon and are, in the majority of cases, due to a faulty diet. In a previous article,1 six cases were analyzed to determine the changes in the intervertebral disk associated with this condition. In four of these six cases the condition was due to faulty diet. I shall present in outline four additional cases and a description of this condition as a definite clinical entity.
CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS
The typical clinical course starts with fatigue referred to the spine, usually with some accentuation of the