Selenium in long term feeding and the frequency of White Muscle Disease in cattle in Finland during the years 1978—1985

Selenium deficiency was established in 1961 as the primary cause for WMD in Finland. This started the propylactic treatment with mineral salts containing 0.1 ppm Se as Sodium selenite in Finland officially in 1969, the first in the world. The incidents of WMD decreased from 1.06 % in 1978 to 0.66 % in 1984. If in heifers only from 18 907 cases, 7.9 % to 11 328 cases, 4.6 %, in 1984. The decrease of WMD cases reflects a better Se status in cattle as a whole, and has also contributed to an increase in the Se content in animal products. Even though Se insufficiency was established to be important for animals, the significance of Se for human beings was disregarded, until the consequences of the deficiency in man was demonstrated by T. Westermarck in 1977