THE THYROID 23 



Myaedema. The atrophy of the thyroid in the 

 adult gives rise to a condition quite similar to that 

 described in the child. Here, however, instead of 

 calling the disease "cretinism'' we call it "myxe- 

 dema," to denote the mucous fluid that gathers be- 

 neath the tissues and that gives rise to swellings 

 all over the body. There is a belief that the 

 immediate cause of this disease is due to the pres- 

 ence of an excess of "mucin," a substance that gives 

 the "ropy" consistency to saliva, and that is also 

 found in various parts of the body. The thyroid 

 hormone presumably prevents the accumulation 

 of an excess of mucin. 



Symptoms in myxedema. A person afflicted 

 with myxedema, which, by the way, is more com- 

 mon in woman than in man in the proportion of at 

 least two to one, gradually assumes an appearance 

 that is beyond all recognition. The dull mind, the 

 sluggish movement, the unsteady gait, combine 

 with the general alteration of features to make the 

 person a most pitiable spectacle. The patient may 

 eat quite little, yet so poor is the assimilatory 

 mechanism, that even that little is not easily taken 

 care of ; so that there is a marked accumulation of 

 food reserve in the body, and the individual be- 

 comes abnormally fat. 



Treatment with thyroid extract. Here again, 

 as with the child, cures may be obtained by the ad- 

 ministration of thyroid extract. But in both cases 



