ENLARGEMENT OF THE THYROID GLAND IN CHILDREN

Abstract

During the past year an intensive study of the basal metabolism in its relation to enlargement of the thyroid gland has been in progress in our clinic. In this paper we discuss the results of our study of one hundred cases of what is commonly known as simple goiter in children between the ages of 6 and 14. Marine1and his co-workers have shown that the condition of simple goiter is caused by a lack of iodine in the water and food supply and that it can be prevented by feeding small doses of iodine. The condition is endemic in various inland portions of the world, such as the Great Lakes basin and certain cantons of Switzerland. There is reason to believe that proximity to the sea confers a degree of freedom from endemic goiter. Not only are the food and drinking water obtained near the sea more likely