Osteolathyrism in the Rat

Abstract

Lathyrism is a complex disorder produced by the ingestion of an excess of the seeds of certain legumes, mostly of the genus Lathyrus. This genus includes the common flowering sweet pea. Two distinct forms of the condition are recognized, osteolathyrism and neurolathyrism. Neurolathyrism is the naturally occurring form of the disorder which has been observed in man since antiquity. Its basic feature is a spastic paralysis of the legs. It was first described by Hippocrates (1), who observed this paralysis following the inclusion of sweet peas in the diet during a famine. References to it appear in documents and literary works through the Middle Ages. As early as 1690, a clear description of the disease in man and its relation to the sweet pea was published in the medical literature (2). Sporadic epidemics have been reported, particularly in India, up to modern times (3–5). Despite this long history, very little experimental work has been undertaken on the disorder (6), and it was not until 1961 that the “ne...