ABSTRACT
Zeiss used geomedicine and geographical medicine as synonymous concepts, and said that this is a branch of medicine where geographical and cartographical methods are used to present medical research results. It has been suggested that plant pathology be included in geomedicine. A hypothesis showing that iodine deficiency results in goiter was presented early in the 19th century. In France exact chemical analyses led to a definitive conclusion and to the recommendation of using extra iodine in the goiter districts. In the 1920s many research results showing harmful effects of fluorine compounds were published. The use of various types of additives of fluorine to prevent dental caries is now common in many countries. Anemia and deformation of hooves and other organs normally containing the amino acids with sulphurus are common indications of selenium poisoning. Norwegian farmers have, for a long time, had knowledge of the extraordinarily high frequency of osteomalacia in domestic animals in certain districts.
