The most diverse views have been advanced regarding the cause of this disease. Many have believed it an essential concomitant of civilization. This idea is supported by the unquestioned fact that it is much more common in cities than in rural districts. It is relatively rare to-day among the less progressive peoples of the Orient and among those of tropical and subtropical regions. It is very significant from the standpoint of determining its cause, that the disease is very rare or unknown in certain places as in Ireland, and the Hebrides, and very prevalent in adjacent regions, in England and Scotland, where differences in climate or in amount of sunlight could not logically be invoked as factors which would determine the incidence of rickets. In Iceland the disease occurs very rarely, and is unknown among primitive Eskimo. Findlay states that inquiry of the Alaskan School Service revealed that rickets had recently occurred in several villages north of the Arctic circle. It was stated that the natives of these villages were living under better conditions than in former years. Because of this last statement Findlay expresses skepticism about the diagnosis. It would seem, however, that this "living under better conditions than in former years," may have been a very significant factor in causing the appearance of rickets among the children. This so-called improvement may well have included, in addition to living in a house instead of the primitive hut, a generous addition of bolted wheat flour and other cereal products, and canned goods to the diet. This point would be well worth further inquiry.