THE THYEOID 41 



fed with thyroid extract, showed a normal basal 

 metabolism. 



Value of basal metabolic studies. Of what value 

 are these metabolic studies? Of the very highest 

 in thyroid disease; for, taken together with the 

 other symptoms, a metabolism experiment will 

 confirm or disprove the diagnosis. But there is 

 a still more important point to be brought out: 

 once the diagnosis has been made and a method of 

 treatment adopted, its progress can be followed by 

 periodically carrying out such metabolic experi- 

 ments. If the patient suffers from hyper-thyroi- 

 dism, a successful treatment will gradually show 

 a lowering of the metabolic rate; if from hypo- 

 thyroidism, successful treatment will reveal an in- 

 crease in the metabolic rate. 



There is one drawback to the method : It is not 

 easy to carry out, and requires skillful scientists to 

 handle the instrument. 



It may be mentioned in passing that metabolic 

 studies have been undertaken in other ductless 

 glandular diseases, notably the pituitary, but so 

 far with little result ; the plus and minus variations 

 are not of a sufficiently pronounced character. 



In any case we may conclude with Dr. Boothby, 

 of the Kochester Clinic, that "the basal metabolic 

 rate, which is a determination of the heat produc- 

 tion in a person under standard conditions, serves 



