THYROID IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 89 



animal was ill, it did not eat for two days, it sat quietly 

 in a corner of its cage, whilst on the other hand, the 

 second animal did not show any symptom at all. 



Then I did some clinical work on patients. In all 

 cases where typhoid infection was a possibility I exam- 

 ined the blood for bacilli. Nearly always this was nega- 

 tive, and the patient did not get typhoid fever. In 

 three cases it was positive and in these cases imme- 

 diately thyroid was given by mouth. I will very briefly 

 report these cases here : 



1. A boy of 17. Complains of headache, thirst and 

 dullness during some days; spleen not palpable; no 

 bronchitis; no temperature between 38.4 and 40.2; 

 pulse, 74, dicrotic; the blood culture showed typhoid 

 bacilli. Agglutination on the fifth day of the disease, 

 1 :25. Then 40 milligram thyroid was given 3 times 

 daily. On the sixth day the agglutination is 1 :200 ; on 

 the seventh, 1:250; on the 8th, 1:2000. After that it 

 did not rise any more. 



2. Man of 22. Same complaints as No. 1. Spleen 

 not palpable; there is bronchitis; no rose spots; tem- 

 perature goes to 40 ; pulse, 90, dicrotic ; typhoid bacilli 

 were found in the blood. Agglutination on the fourth 

 day of the disease, 1:10 thyroid was given 3 times 

 daily. Forty milligram agglutination on the fifth day, 

 1:200; sixth day, 1:1500; 8th day, 1:2500. This last 

 was the maximum figure. 



3. Man of 24, with tuberculosis of the lungs and 

 tubercle bacilli in sputum ; was under observation dur- 

 ing some time when one day temperature rose to 39.4. 

 Some days, before the patient had been dull, the blood 

 contained typhoid bacilli. There was no agglutination. 

 Thyroid was given from the third day ; fourth day, titer 

 1:100; fifth day, 1:300. Sixth day the patient had a 

 collapse and died suddenly. We see here in three cases 

 how by the influence of thyroid therapy the formation 

 of antibodies begins much earlier than in other cases. 



