PAEATHYROID GLANDS 669 



however, that similar findings have been made in the parathyroid glands of 

 persons who during life have shown no signs of tetany. 



The pathological histology of the nervous system of animals suffering 

 from experimental tetany has been carefully studied by W. G. MacCallum, 

 who found signs of acute degeneration, with swelling of the nuclei of the 

 anterior horn cells of the spinal cord, as well as changes in the Mssl bodies 

 (chromatolysis) of the cells of the cerebral cortex. 



In a case of tetany complicating acute miliary tuberculosis, M. Winter- 

 nitz demonstrated the presence of miliary tubercles within the parathyroid 

 glands themselves. 



VI. Course of Tetany and Its Termination 



Prognosis 



The course and termination of tetany and the sequelae vary somewhat, 

 according to the form of the disease and the age when the tetany occurs. 



1. Prognosis in the Tetany of Childhood 



Three sets of statistics are available, those of Potpeschnigg, those of 

 Phleps, and those of von Frankl-Hochwart. 



Potpeschnigg's statistics include 119 cases. Of these, no less than 23 

 per cent died during their first admission to the hospital and on tracing, 

 those that did not die on their first admission, it was found that 19 patients 

 had died in subsequent attacks. Some 24 of the children were found still 

 living and were reexamined ; of these, five showed no signs of tetany ; four 

 suffered from chronic tetany, and the other fifteen exhibited severe nervous 

 or general disturbances (mental deficiency, infantilism, etc.). 



Phleps reviewed the histories of 103 patients, 39 of whom certainly had 

 tetany within the first two years of life, and 14 more probably had it dur- 

 ing that period. An analysis of these 53 cases showed that only five were, 

 in later life, entirely free from symptoms. An analysis of these 103 cases, 

 whose average age was 25 years at the time of the analysis, revealed the 

 presence of cataract in 66 of them, epilepsy in 17, and enamel defects of 

 the teeth in 53. 



Von Frankl-Hochwart could secure full reports of only 55 of his 160 

 cases. Of these, eleven had died in early life, seven still suffered from 

 tetany, nineteen had symptoms that he designated as "tetanoid," that is to 

 say, they manifested one or more of the latent signs of tetany, six, though 

 still quite young, were chronic invalids, manifesting a condition that re- 

 sembled myxedema, and only twelve were healthy. Thus, no less than four- 

 fifths of the 55 were dead or were permanently invalided. 



