Impaired function of collagen

Nutritional deficiency, particularly Vitamin C, in the fishes has been shown to have a rather pronounced effect on the collagen content of fish vertebrae. Since intra-vertebral collagen makes up the major portion of the organic matrix of the bone, any significant decrease in collagen of the bone would result in a less rigid and thus more fragile structure. The 42% decrease in intra-vertebral collagen should readily explain the pathological conditions associated with the bones of the fishes; i.e., lordosis, scoliosis and the broken back.