69 



CHAPTER V. 



THE THYROID AND PARATHYROID 



GLANDS. 



History — Removal of the thyroid and parathyroids — Removal 

 of parathyroids alone — Removal of thyroid alone — ^Thyroid 

 feeding — Chemistry of thjToid colloid — Parenchj'matous goitre 

 — Iodoform and thyroidism — Action of iodides on gummata and 

 atheroma — Exophthalmic goitre — Practical deductions. 



MUCH of the clinical and experimental work 

 which has been done in connection with 

 these glands can no longer be described as new, but 

 it will be helpful to mention in passing some of the 

 well-known results obtained by the first observers. 



HISTORY. 



As long ago as 1859, Schiff described the fatal 

 result which inevitably supervenes after removal of 

 the thyroid gland in dogs, but it was not until 

 " cachexia strumipriva," or operative myxoedema, 

 was found to follow so many of Kocher's early 

 operations for goitre on patients coming from the 

 goitrous Swiss valleys, that this fact attracted much 

 attention. The relation of the thyroid to myxoedema 

 Was then established by Gull and Ord. The highly 

 successful treatment of myxoedema and cretinism by 

 thyroid feeding was introduced by Murray, follow- 

 ing on the observation by Schiff and subsequent 

 workers that transplantation of the gland beneath 



