HORMONES 47 



cretinism, but in other respects they call forth 

 the same set of changes ; intelligence declines 

 even to dementia ; bodily activity subsides till 

 only animal sluggishness is left ; a condition 

 known as myxedema supervenes, after which 

 in the course of some years the cases termin- 

 ate fatally. These mature cases are also im- 

 mensely alleviated by the thyroid treatment. 

 In cases of myxedema it was found that in- 

 jection of thyroid extract under the skin, or 

 better still, simple feeding of thyroid mate- 

 rial, gave favorable results. Only from sixty to 

 one hundred and thirty milligrams of sub- 

 stance administered every three or four days 

 was found sufficient to keep a patient in 

 health. 



I cannot better picture to you the signifi- 

 cance of this treatment both for the child and 

 the adult than by quoting from Moore the 

 words of a well-known medical authority, Dr. 

 Willia'm Osier, who, in speaking of this side 

 of medicine, has said : " Our art has made no 

 more brilliant advance than in the cure of 

 these disorders due to the disturbed function 

 of the thyroid gland. That we can to-day res- 

 cue children otherwise doomed to helpless 

 idiocy, that we can restore to life the hopeless 



