460 Athyrea; Hyperthyrea. 



dyspnoea, disturbances of growth, dilution of the blood and 

 cutaneous changes (falling out of hair, thickening and mucoid 

 degeneration of the subcutaneous tissue — myxcedema atrophicum, 

 stnimosum, operativum). Practically the same results are ob- 

 tained from experiments on monkeys, sheep, goats, hogs and dogs 

 as are observed in man after goitre operations (Hofmeister and 

 Eiselberg). 



[The acute results mentioned, tetany, dyspnoea, convulsions, 

 palsies and death in a few days after ablation, are now generally 

 attributed to loss of the parathyroid glandules ; removal of the 

 thyroid alone is not essentially fatal, and is followed by chronic 

 metabolic disturbances in animals comparable to myxcedema in 

 man. The precise interrelation which probably exists between the 

 thyroid and parathyroids is not understood.] 



It has been assumed (Rogowitsch) that the thyroid gland has 

 as its function the removal or neutralization of metabolic products 

 the retention of which in the system would produce toxic efifects, 

 that the organ probably, therefore, elaborates a secretory sub- 

 stance essential to the regulation of metabolism, which is appar- 

 ently carried into the blood from the follicles by way of the ex- 

 tremely delicate lymph channels (Lubarsch). This assumption is 

 founded upon the fact that a fatal result of operative removal 

 may be avoided by removing only one lobe of the gland and by 

 leaving some remnant of thyroid tissue or by favoring restoration 

 of the tissue by artificial means (transplantation of thyroid, in- 

 jection of thyroid extract), or if the parathyroids remain and take 

 up a vicarious [ ?] activity. It seems probable that the hypophysis 

 is able in some degree to compensate for loss of the thyroid by 

 vicarious hypertrophy; at least in thyroidcctomized rabbits en- 

 largements of the pituitary body have been observed (Rogo- 

 witsch, Stieda, Hofmeister). 



In connection with enlargements of the thyroid {struma hyper- 

 plastica and, too, carciiiosa) a type of intoxication has been ob- 

 served, apparently the very opposite to that following extirpa- 

 tion of the organ, the so-called Basedozv's disease {hyperthyrea, 

 dysthyrea) ; this condition is very like the symptoms of intoxica- 

 tion which occur both in healthy human beings and animals 

 after large doses of thyroid extract, as accelerated and energetic 

 cardiac action (tachycardia), cardiac dilatation and cardiac hyper- 

 trophy, epileptiform seizures, prominence of the eyeballs (goggle- 



