THE THYROID APPARATUS 105 



held, and which he himself declared to be erroneous; and it 

 constitutes, in a sense, an attack upon those views. 



Blum failed to recognize that the thyroid apparatus is not a 

 single organ. According to his theory, the " thyroid gland is 

 not a secretory gland, but is a neutralizing organ, which acts 

 by withdrawing certain toxins from the blood-stream, which are 

 neutralized within the gland, the process serving, more par- 

 ticularly, to protect the central nervous system." The toxins 

 (entero-toxins) are supposed to be formed within the intestines, 

 and to be largely derived from flesh foods ; they become fixed 

 in the thyroid gland, and are there gradually neutralized. In 

 the course of this process, intermediate products (thyrotox- 

 albumins) are formed and these, when completely neutralized, are 

 eventually discharged from the gland in the form of harmless 

 excreta. 



The serious pathological disturbances which follow the sup- 

 pression of the thyroid function the acute tetany, with 

 degenerative changes of the central nervous system, the cachexia, 

 idiocy and mental derangement, the interstitial nephritis and 

 grave ocular troubles these can all, according to Blum, be inter- 

 preted only as manifestations of a toxic condition. The influence 

 which diet has upon post-operative symptoms, commented upon 

 by Horsley, is regarded by Blum as proof of the activity of a 

 toxic agent which, under normal conditions, would be retained 

 and neutralized by the thyroid gland. Neutralization is supposed 

 to take place by iodization of the toxic albuminoid, whereby an 

 unsaturated thyrotoxalbumin, containing iodine, is formed as an 

 intermediate product. This body has a toxic influence upon the 

 heart and upon metabolism. In view of the fact that the amount of 

 iodine contained in the iodized albuminoid of the thyroid gland 

 varies very considerably, and that the amount of organically fixed 

 iodine may be increased by iodide of sodium given by the mouth, 

 it must be assumed that a continuous process of iodization goes 

 on in the gland. The process of iodization is continued to the 

 point of saturation, the saturated iodized albuminoid being non- 

 toxic. Blum assumes a specific property of isolating iodine an 

 iodasis on the part of the thyroid gland, and he believes, further, 

 that the iodine stored up in the gland does not again leave it. 

 He was unable to find the smallest trace of iodine in the lymph 

 of the thoracic duct of animals which had been given iodide of 

 potassium in large quantities. As Magnus-Levy points out, 

 however, a careful examination of the quantitative condition robs 

 this result of its significance, for the amount of lymph analysed 

 by Blum was only 100 c.cm., and it \vas certainly not all derived 

 from the thyroid. Moreover, Gley and Bourcet found that iodine 

 was a constant constituent of the blood, and their finding is 

 confirmed by Bonninger. 



Blum maintains that iodine is retained in the thyroid gland; 



