SOMMAIRE : 1 General Introduction 1 2 Natural Sources of Minerals 17 3 The Detection and Correction of Mineral Imbalances in Animals 47 4 Calcium 67 5 Phosphorus 105 6 Magnesium 149 7 Sodium and Chlorine 185 8 Potassium 213 9 Sulphur 231 10 Cobalt 251 11 Copper 283 12 Iodine 343 13 Iron 375 14 Manganese 397 15 Selenium 421 16 Zinc 477 17 Occasionally Beneficial Elements (Boron, Chromium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Tin, Vanadium) 513 18 Essentially Toxic Elements (Aluminium, Arsenic, Cadmium, Fluorine, Lead, Mercury) 543 19 Design of Supplementation Trials for Assessing Mineral Deprivation 587