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. 



