The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-06
GO|TRE EPIDEMIC
PUZZLES EXPERTS
In Monroe, Or. SundalI Finds
so Per Cent of Women
Afflicted.
SWISS BLAME THE WATER
EUROPEAN PHYSICIAN WRITES
ABOUT HIS EXPERIMENTS.
SWISS BLAME THE WATER

The appearance of an epidemic of
goitre, or big neck, in Sanpete county,
Iron county, Sewer county and Cache
county during the past year has led the
State Board Of Health, under the direc-
ton Of Dr. T. B. Beatty, to investigate
the cause of the malady. These inves-
legations have been assisted by medical
and pathological experts, DR.. John
Sundwall, professor of anatomy at the
University of Utah, has visited num-
Der of communities where the affiction
is prevalent
His most recent Investigations have
been in Sewer, Iron and Sanpete coun-
ties. L. has been found that many more
| women than men are afflicted, the dis
| ease consisting of a swelling of the thy
roid gland of the neck and is frequently
accompanied by an affection OF the
eyes.
DR.. SundwalI found that in the small
town of Monroe the percentage of in
habitants afflicted with the malady was
estimated as high as so per cent of
/ the female population and per cent of
| the male population. Monroe, however,
is only one OF the many towns IN this
| district in which the inhabitants are
| thus afflicted. In Fountain Green,
Freedom, Birch Creek. Siddon, Tropio.
CannonviIle and in the districts fur
Their south ii was found that more than
half the women have the ailment in
more or less severe form.
Cause of Disease.
Through the recent scientific investl-
cations throughout the world the real
cause for the disease is being more
thoroughly understood. In certain parts
of the mountain districts of Switzerland
the conditions are found about the same
as they now exist in southern Utah. A
| communication to the medical world
from VEINS surgical service at Basic
says: THE extensive experimental
work in these districts confirms the as
sumption that the drinking water in Ger.
tain geological formations contains q
substance which produces both goitre
and cretenism. The experiments were
made upon dogs, rats, guinea pigs anC
monkeys and the enlargement of tn,
thyroid followed when they drank watel
from certain regions where goitre wa:
prevalent. Goitre also developed il
these animals when after filtration o
such water the settings were added t
other water from regions free from
goitre. The fact that the thyroid is tn,
one gland affected by this element con
firms the assumption that the enlarge
ment is a poison and not a micro
/
Dr.. T. B. Beatty stated Tuesday aft
ernO0n that the chemical tests mad
on this water only revealed the sam,
constituents as were found in region
where goitre is not prevalent. TIT
cause of the trouble seems to be in SOM
unknown chemical in the water
In order to determine whether tn
geological conditions existing aroun,
Paradise, Cache county, where the dis
ease Is also prevalent, are the same a
that around Siddon, Sanpete county. DI
Fred j. Pack of the department of geoI
ogy of the University Of Utah viii con
duct an investigation.
DR. Beatty said: IF after Professo
Packs investigation it is found that tn
conditions are the same it will be neces
sary for the people of those towns t
get a new water supply. Goitre, 0
big neck can be cured by medical treat
ment, but it would be much easier Z
change the water supply. This, how
ever, viii not be done until a thorough
investigation is made"