102 THE DISEASES OF THE THYROID GLAND 



used for therapeutic purposes the serum of thyroidectomized animals, 

 Bunghart and Blumenthal the serum of myxedema patients, Sorgo the meat 

 of thyroidless herbivorous animals. Mb'bius used the serum of thyroidless 

 animals (antithyroidin, Merck's preparation) or thyroidectin (Parke, Davis 

 & Co.), Lanz used the milk of thyroidless animals (Rodagen-milk powder of 

 thyroidless goats' milk sugar). Lepine obtained an "immune serum" from 

 the feeding of thyroidin to goats. Finally we must mention the thyro- 

 toxic serum of Beebe. v. Mikulicz recommended the feeding of thymus sub- 

 stance. All these therapeutic propositions were for the most part greeted 

 in the beginning with enthusiasm, but improvement was seen only in the 

 light cases, in which the amelioration could not be attended with certainty by 

 the means employed. In recent years to have the statements as to favor- 

 able results become always sparser. The scepsis is the more justified for the 

 reason that all authors who have investigated the influence of thymus, rodagen, 

 or antithyroidin serum on the metabolism have been able to elicit only nega- 

 tive results (Magnus-Levy, Stuve, Salomon). A. Kocher recommends neutral 

 sodium phosphate (up to 6 gm. per day), which should prevent the dissemi- 

 nation of the iodine-containing substance from the thyroid gland. Views 

 do not agree as to the value of this means of treatment. Otherwise medical 

 treatment seems to fail almost always. All authors are, for example, of the 

 opinion that digitalis rather aggravates the cardiac conditions. Also the 

 diarrheas and vomiting are but little influenced by drugs. 



v. Muller and Saxl proceeding from the experimental elicitation of Loeb, 

 and of Frohlich and Chiari that calcium exercises a dampening influence on 

 certain conditions of irritation of the nervous system, have used in Basedow's 

 disease intramuscular injections of calcium chloride gelatine (5-7 cc. of 

 Merck's preparation "Kalzine"). They found in the typical cases mostly 

 an essential improvement, while the treatment usually seems to fail in the 

 case of an heredito-neuropathic basis. 



The dietetic and physical treatment of Basedow's disease still occupies the 

 central place of internal therapy. Most important is rest, in the severest 

 cases rest in bed and the avoidance of every excitement, combined with the 

 dietetic treatment; beneficial is the action of slight hydro therapeutic pro- 

 cedures, such as were first recommended by Winternitz, eventually slight gal- 

 vanization and faradization of the sympathetic, especially in strumas rich in 

 blood-vessels, and the air of heights (600-1000 m.). Now a few words as to 

 dietetic treatment. In the first place this must tend to prevent loss of 

 weight and to enable gain in weight. As in Basedow's disease there exists an 

 increased exchange, it was believed that this could be made up by an abun- 

 dance of protein food. On the basis of our own investigations we were how- 

 ever compelled to accept the idea that administration of protein increases the 

 secretion of the thyroid gland. With this stands in harmony the fact that 

 on administration of meat in experiments, we can make the thyroid gland 



