Hypertrophy of Thyroid Gland. 



hi 



74 (77o) 



Hypertrophy of the thryoid gland. Revision of experiments 

 made 25 years ago. 



By William Stewart Halsted. 



For some years I have thought that the hyperplasia of the 

 remaining thryoid tissue which has followed excision of a portion 

 of the thyroid gland might be due to infection of the wound, and 

 was, in most cases, not a compensatory hypertrophy; and for the 

 following reasons: 



1. In 1888 I found that hyperplasia of the thyroid glands of 

 dogs occurred after the injection of several c.c. of a bouillon 

 culture of Staphylococcus aureus into the peritoneal cavity, and 

 also when a mild form of peritonitis had been produced in these 

 animals — a peritonitis which was not rapidly fatal. 



2. Experiments conducted in 1906 and 7 in the Hunterian 

 laboratory seemed to prove that for the successful transplantation 

 of a parathyroid glandule, a considerable deficiency must be 

 created. 



3. Have observed that symptoms of hyperthyroidism and even 

 exophthalmic goiter may develop promptly after tonsillitis, ap- 

 pendicitis, pneumonia, typhoid fever and other infections. 



4. Twice in the course of the past five years I have had the 

 opportunity to examine the remaining lobe of the thyroid gland 

 after excision of the other in dogs whose wounds had healed 

 throughout without suppuration and have noted that there was 

 no hyperplasia of the former. 



5. The inconstant results obtained by other experimenters. 

 Last October I proposed to Dr. Hunnicutt, my assistant the 



Hunterian laboratory, that he undertake a series of experiments 

 with view to determining the matter definitely. Observing 

 aseptic precautions in the strictest manner Dr. Hunnicutt has 

 made a large number of experiments and we are able to report 

 that in the nine dogs whose thyroids thus far have been examined 

 there has been not the slightest evidence of hyperplasia in a 

 single instance. The average time allowed to elapse between the 

 removal of the first and second lobes was 55 days, the shortest 



