Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-06-07
EXTENDING DWARFS.
REMARKABLE CASE OF JESSE VAN
VLECK OF KANSAS CITY,.
A Sufferer From Cretinism-Thyro Gland
of the Sheep Given Him With Splendid
Results-A Similar Case In Scotland.

A SuneRer From Cretintsm-Thyrold Glanu
of the Sheep Given Him With Splendid
Results-A Similar Case In Scotland.
There is now some hope Of cure in GER
tain cases of arrested growth in children.
The latest case of the kind is reported from
Kansas City. A child in whom all de-
velopment, mental and physical, had ceased
for IL years has shown remarkable signs of
improvement.
The disease which caused the trouble
was sporadic cretinism, an affection of the
thyroid gland of the neck. 1t is of a SINH
lar nature to gOitcr, the disease which pro-
duces the cretins of certain valleys of
Switzerland and other parts Of the world.
When the doctors asccrtained that Gre
tinism was a disease originating in the
thyroid gland, they endeavored to find
remedies which would act upon this organ.
This is the gland which swells in the all
ment known as mumps. Following re-
cent line of discovery in medical science,
they gave the sufferers thyroid gland Of
animals in various forms. Favorable re-
suits have been obtained in several cases,
although they cannot be looked for with
certainty.
The Kansas City child is Jesse Van
Week, son of Mr.. and Mrs. Charles H.
Van Week of 17OS East Eighth street, in
that city. He was 10 Years Of age on April
90 and was then exactly 2SH inches tall,
just about the height Of an infant begin
ming to walk.
His father and mother are both people of
good size. His father is feet 8 inches
hiph Nd he pp1nlc onH hic
mother weighs 175 pounds. They have
three other children, all of more than av-
erage size. Jesses sister, aged Z, is twice
as big as he.
At his birth he was a fine baby, weigh
ing 10 pounds. For l a years his growth
was very satisfactory. At years he weigh
ed 38 pounds.
Then his growth stopped. In fact, in
his thirteenth year he weighed half a
pound less than in his second. He did not
seem ILL., On the contrary, he was cheerful
and accomplishing. But his growth, both
mental and physical, ceased absolutely.
He was less restless than an ordinary
child of years. Up to the present he has
always spoken like baby learning to talk
and has never learned his letters. In ap-
pearance he differs little from an ordinary
baby. There is a slightly aged look about
his eyes, and his forehead is wrinklcd.
Both parents and doctors have had hard
work to assign any definite cause for the
disease. The only one the former could
suggest was a fall which the child had
when he was N years old. The nurse
dropped him, but the fall was not bad
one.
The parents made every effort to help
the child They took him to hospitals in
New York and other eastern cities and to
many eminent physicians throughout the
country. They spent something like &c.
900 for medical services in the earlier years
of the trouble. AS time passed and no i'm
provement was obtained they naturally
lost hope.
A few weeks ago DR.. William Smith Of
Kansas City, who had taken an interest in
jesse Van Week, received a report of the
Medico- Chirurgical society Of Scotland for
1894. 1t contained an account of u case
similar to Jesso's.
A Scotch boy, suffering from sporadic
cretinism, was but 33H inches tall at the
age of IS years. DR.. Thomson of the Ed
inburgh School of Medicine began to treat
him in December, 1899. He fed him with
thyroid glands of healthy sheep and lambs
At the end of three months he had grown
two inches, more than he had previously
grown in II years. In 12 months he grew
Az inches and showed signs of maturing
in body and mind.
1t was decided to try the same treatment
with Jesse Van Week. The father went
to the big packing house in Kansas City
and explained why he wanted thyroid
glands. 1t appeared that 1t was customary
to throw them away with the hide and
the manager willingly gave him all he
wanted.
The thyroid gland of the sheep is or 4
inches long, about half an inch wide and
gray in color. 1t looks like fat. 1t is not
unpleasant to taste
One Friday the gland was first given to
Jesse Van Week. 1t was cut up and mix
ed with potatoes, and he ate 1t cheerfully.
On the following Sunday, according to the
report, he was uneasy, complained of
pains, was cross and finally put to bed.
All these symptoms were unusual with
him. They were regarded by the delighted
parents as growing pains.
On Monday he was well and very play
full. He shouted with glee and performed
feats of agility. Thenceforth the thyroid
gland was given to him regularly, and the
improvement in his condition continued.
The parents think the child has already
begun to grow, but there is no reliable evil
dence on this point. His measurements
have been taken by the doctors and will be
4 L T.