1 Department of Surgery, H. P. Medical College, Snowdon, Simla-1.
2 Division of Plant Pathology, Central Potato Research Institute, Simla-1 (H.P.)
It is indicated that late blight infected potato consumption by pregnant ladies is responsible for certain abnormalities like spina bifida and anencephaly in the offspring. The hypothesis is supported by the facts that incidence of both spina bifida and anencephaly is high (9.2 to 11.6/1000) in H.P., and about 6/1.000 in Amritsar where late blight occurrence IS a regular feature in a severe form, as compared to low incidence of (0.5 to otherplains, where late bight incidence is rare and mild.
Experimental feeding of healthy or late blight affected tubers of late blight susceptible veariety Kufri Chandramukhi with the normal diet of rabbits for prolonged periods resulted in almost hundred per cent death of the off springs of the mother fed on belighted potato diet. One of the pregnant mothers of the same group succumbed without delivering the litter. The death of the mother was concluded to be on account of anoxio cardiac arrest. It is, therefore, postulated that rabbits apparently are either tolerent to Potato teratogens or extremely susceptible reading to the death of pups and certain individuals.
