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Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 21 No. 11 689-696
© 1938 by American Dairy Science Association ®
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Studies on the Composition of Bovine Blood

I. The Magnesium Content of the Blood Plasma of the Normal Dairy Calf*

C. W. Duncan, C. C. Lightfoot and C. F. Huffman

From the Chemistry Section and Section of Dairy Husbandry of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, East Lansing

ABSTRACT

Determinations of magnesium were made on the blood plasma of 107 normal dairy calves at intervals of 1 to 2 weeks over a period of 3 years. Values were calculated for the mean concentration of magnesium in the blood plasma for the first 18 months of life. The mean magnesium values showed fairly close agreement from month to month and a definite tendency to increase up to 12–13 months of age. The change in level was accompanied by a series of rhythmic variations which extended over several months. The mean value for all of the observed values was 2.414 mg. per 100 cc. of blood plasma (range 1.62–3.83 mg.) and 79.7 per cent of the values were between 1.895 and 2.795 mg. (Fig. 1), whereas 72.5 per cent of the values actually occurred within the limits established by the band of normality (Fig. 2).

The values for magnesium, as recorded above, may be regarded as a cross-section of results obtained from a fair sample of normal dairy calves and may be used as a standard of comparison in estimating the probable significance of other determinations. From the evidence obtained in these experiments, one must conclude that the mean values obtained for the concentration of magnesium in the blood of young dairy animals from month to month differ significantly from values obtained by other workers.

It has been shown that the concentration of magnesium can not be regarded as constant. The range of the so-called normal variation is in all probability sufficiently wide to include many variations that occur under pathological as well as physiological conditions since the maximum and minimum values for each month are definitely outside of the limits of the band of normality established for the combined values of the prediction curve. The results of this investigation also make it evident that fluctuations In the plasma magnesium content of the blood of growing dairy calves are to be expected as normal occurrences.

The authors wish to express their appreciation to Dr. W. D. Baten for his assistance with the statistical treatment of the data.

FOOTNOTES

* Published with the permission of the Director of the Experiment Station as Journal Article No. 322 (n.s.).






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Copyright © 1938 by the American Dairy Science Association ®.