EXOPHTHALMIC GOITRE. 273 



principal symptoms — palpitation of the heart, goitre, and exoph- 

 thalmia. 



This disease had hardly been discovered when its essential 

 characteristics were identified and well described in England by 

 Graves, and in Germany by Basedow. Trousseau gives a masterly 

 sketch in the second volume of his Cliniques Medicales de VHotel-Dieu. 

 Since that time it has been the subject, both in France and abroad, of 

 many observations and interesting researches. 



The first cases of exophthalmic goitre in animals were only 

 announced in 1888. At this date the Russian veterinary surgeon 

 Jewsejenko described two, one in a mare and the other in a bitch. 



The first was that of a four-year-old thoroughbred mare which, 

 when fatigued after racing, exhibited grave disturbance, at first referred 

 to brain disease. For a fortnight she showed weakness, dulness, loss 

 of appetite, excessive thirst, slight acceleration of breathing, rapid 

 action of the heart, palpitation, strong pulse, hypertrophy of the 

 thyroid gland, injection of the conjunctivae, and slight infiltration of 

 the eyelids. Suddenly, on the sixth day, exophthalmia became very 

 marked. The globes of both eyes were fixed, and the eyelids could not 

 be closed. The lobes of the thyroid gland showed pulsation, and 

 continued to increase in size. The temperature rose to 40° C. (104° F.). 

 The patient died of exhaustion at the end of a month. No post-mortem 

 examination was made. 



The second case was that of a seven-year-old bitch, whicfi was 

 reported as having once suffered from an epileptiform seizure while 

 being exercised in hot weather. Psychic disturbance, agoraphobia 

 (fear of open spaces), and symptoms of great irritability persisted, and 

 were later succeeded by rapid action of the heart, palpitation, hyper- 

 trophy of the thyroid gland, and finally exophthalmia. The globes of 

 the eyes projected prominently, preventing closure of the eyelids. An 

 ulcer developed on the cornea of the left eye, and afterwards perforated 

 the membrane. 



After the appearance of the above, four new cases of exophthalmic 

 goitre were published — two in the horse, one in the cow, and one in the 

 dog.* 



This is the only information we possess regarding this singular 

 disease. It is certainly rare in animals, though the paucity of reported 

 cases is certainly in some degree due to the attention of veterinary 

 surgeons not having been called to it. 



'■' A second case of exophthalmic goitre in the cow was published in 1898 by Gehrig in 

 the Deutsche Thieriirstliche Wochenschrift ; and a third in the horse, in 1899, by Ries in the 

 Recueil de Medecine Veterinaire. 



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