Effects of Removal of Parathyroids 



25 



during pregnancy, in the course of infectious diseases, and in new-born 

 infants. In some such cases degenerative changes or haemorrhages have 



o o o 



been observed in the parathyroids. But other cases have been recorded 

 in which changes of a similar character have been found post-mortem in 

 the parathyroids without symptoms of tetany having been noticed during 

 life. Various attempts have been made to associate conditions showing 

 increase of response to reflex or to cortical stimuli, e.g. such as occur in 

 Thomson's disease and in paralysis agitans, with a condition of chronic 

 deficiency of parathyroid secretion. It is stated by Berkeley that cases of 

 paralysis agitans are benefited by administration of parathyroid. The 



FIG. 17. Photograph showing a thyroidectomised cretin lamb about fourteen months old 

 and a normal sheep of the same age. The thyroids (with the parathyroids) had been 

 removed from the cretin about twelve months previously. (Sutherland Simpson.) 



gland has also been recommended in chorea, epilepsy, and eclampsia. On 

 the other hand, it has been suggested that pseudoparalytic conditions, such 

 as those which are found in myotonia paralytica and myastltenia gravis, 

 are due to chronic increase of the secretion. But the evidence in support 

 of the view that these affections are related to abnormalities of the para- 

 thyroids is not at present convincing. 



Effects of Parathyroid Removal on Metabolism. Chronic parathyroid 

 tetany is always accompanied by rapid diminution in weight and general 

 emaciation, indicating that the nutrition of the body as a whole is seriously 

 affected. The emaciation is however due, at least in part, to incidental 

 circumstances such as loss of appetite and the supervention of diarrhoea. 

 These conditions may appear, even in the absence of actual tetany, with 

 insufficiency of parathyroid secretion, such as occurs when the vessels 



