THE SYMPATHETIC SYSTEM 



65 



improvement. If the child reaches the age of puberty, 

 the physiological changes of this period do not ap- 

 pear ; the genital organs stay infantile and the hairs do not 

 grow either in the axilla or the pubis. These subjects 



FIG. 2. Myxedematous dwarfism (Infroid collection). 



have a very poor resistance to infections and usually die 

 of seme intercurrent disease or of tuberculosis. It is very 

 rare to see a case of congenital myxedema over 30 or 40. 



2. ACQUIRED MYXEDEMA. It occurs usually in the 

 first part of childhood. The usual cause is some infectious 

 thyroid lesion, secondary to measles, scarlet fever, broncho 

 pneumonia, gastro enteritis, etc. (Roger and Gamier). 



