Clifton College Scientific Society. 27 



The transepts were built between l^^Z and 1515, and the 

 tower between 1428 and 1461. It is in the perpendicular style, 

 and is 127 feet high. The greater part of this church was built 

 in the decorated style, which is considered the most beautiful of 

 all the types of Gothic architecture, approaching, as it does, nearer 

 to nature than any other. Its grandeur can best be appreciated 

 when the glare of daylight has given place to the dusky twilight 

 of evening, which gives to the vaulted roof overhead an appearance 

 of greater height than it really possesses, and that aspect of dim- 

 ness and gloom which exerts so powerful an influence of awe and 

 mystery over the human mind, 



W. J. P. Wood next read the following on — 

 GOITRE AND CRETINISM. 



The diseases about which I am about to speak to-night are 

 hardly known in England ; perhaps then it will not be amiss to 

 say a few words on the subject of the diseases themselves, and the 

 appearances which they present. 



Goitre is a swelling of the thyroid gland, or the parts adjoining 

 it, and jjresents the appearance of a lump of flesh attached to the 

 neck, immediately below the chin. This swelling increases with 

 the growth of the individual, until in some cases it attains an 

 enormous size. Such, however, is not a universal fact, for in the 

 great majority of cases, the lump does not appear to exceed in size 

 a small apple. I was in Switzerland myself last summer, and 

 saw several of these goitres. I took notes of the facts which I 

 observed, for the appearance was quite new to me, and I had 

 never heard of the complaint before. The goitre does not appear 

 to be in every case immediately under the chin, but rather on one 

 side ; sometimes I have noticed it on the right, and sometimes 

 on the left. With regard to the size of the swelling, it seems to 

 vary much in different people ; in boys it is very small, and not 

 likely to be noticed except in exceptional cases. On the other 

 hand, I have seen a man wheeling a barrow with a leather strap 

 under his swelling ; and this was not so surprising, for as he came 

 nearer, what I had before taken to be something tied round his 

 neck, I now saw to be a huge tumour, like a well-blown bladder, 

 and nearly, if not quite, twice as big as his own head ! This was 

 the largest one that I ever observed ; but I have seen others at 

 least as big as a moderately sized melon. Other instances have 

 been recorded in which the tumour has been known to grow to such 

 a size, that its victim could no longer siipport his burden, but was 

 compelled to creep on all-fours along the ground. Such an im- 

 mense swellino- of the organs in immediate connection with the 



