THYROID IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 87 
as long as possible to prevent the patient from the dan- 
gers of general syphilis. Two things are absolutely 
sure: 1. The thyroid gland plays a prominent part in 
syphilis; 2. Thyroid therapy has a future in treament 
of syphilis. 
EXPERIENCES WITH TYPHOID FEVER 
It is a fact that the thyroid is sometimes affected by 
typhoid infection, but this fact is not at all generally 
known. In many of our well-known textbooks I found 
nothing on this subject. Dieulafoy (46), mentions sup- 
puration of the thyroid as one of the complications of 
typhoid fever. Gilbert and Castaigne (47), report a 
remarkable case where a typhoid fever was the cause 
of, or at least followed by, a Graves’ disease. 
Out of 1700 cases of typhoid fever Liebermeister and 
Hoffmann (48), found 15 cases of thyroiditis and 
strumitis. An interesting case is published by Geza 
Galli (49), where a patient, 21 years after a typhoid 
fever, developed an abscess in the thyroid. After in- 
cision, the pus proved to contain a pure culture of 
typhoid bacilli. Roger and Garner (50), found in 
typhoid fever anatomical lesions in the thyroid. In 
several serious cases they observed a hemorrhagic in- 
flammation of the organ. Crisafi (51), found anatomi- 
cal changes, but was not able to isolate the typhoid 
bacilli from the thyroid. Pernice (52), described typi- 
cal lesions in the thyroid: hyperemia and a hypersecre- 
tion of colloid. 
Now, though we know the influence of typhoid bacilli 
on the thyroid, we must not exaggerate the meaning of 
this. Nicholson (53), thought that endemic goitre 
was caused by an infection due to a water-borne organ- 
ism. He supposed that this, perhaps, could be the 
typhoid bacillus. So he treated his patients with goitre 
with inoculations of typhus vaccine, without success. 
This result will not astonish most workers. 
