GRAVES' DISEASE 85 



disease is restrained by parathyroid treatment. 

 From the further results of their experimental 

 work he and his co-workers, Eppinger and Falta, 

 infer that the thyroid secretion stimulates the 

 sympathetic, while that of the parathyroid has an 

 inhibitory effect. Stimulation and inhibition 

 are so balanced by the activity of the two glands 

 that, under normal conditions, oscillation is 

 possible within a very small margin only. 



It seems to me that these findings, which have 

 been to a great extent confirmed, square pretty 

 accurately with our clinical experience of disease 

 or altered function of these two glands, and 

 further that they give us distinct pointers to 

 treatment, which as humanitarians is our chief 

 want. I have given parathyroid for some years 

 in every case of Graves' disease that has come 

 into my hands, and I firmly believe that it is the 

 agent we need in the scientific treatment of it. 

 I presuppose, of course, that everything possible 

 has been done to remove local toxic causes. 

 Suprarenal helps the good effect if the blood- pres- 

 sure be low. Exophthalmos is thought by some 

 to be a sign of hyperadrenalism, and this is pro- 

 bably true ; the unnatural disturbance of the 

 sympathetic is probably due also to the same 

 cause. To be effective parathyroid must be 



