El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-05-13

tudes. Accordingly, some Investigators
have been inclined 10 believe that
poisonous chemic substance of un-
known character must be accountable,
a mineral ingredient in water, that is
to say. It was manifestly some thing
wrong with water. the evidence point
ing in that direction being Overwhelm-
ing
Thus. for instance. it was observed
that in certain afflicted districts,
people who drank only rain water
were free from the trouble. In Vienna,
80 years ago. there was a marked in
crease of gOiter soon after a new
water supply was obtained from q re-
gion where the disease had long been
very prevalent. On the other hand,
great decrease of gOiter followed
flood which. in 1918. covered with
three feet of fresh soil drought down
from the mountains) the valley in
which the French town Of Martigny is
situated.
Traced to Wells
Certain wells in many regions are
locally recognized as "gOiterous." II
has been a common practice, in parts
of Austria, for men DESTROYS of escap-
ing military service to drink the water
OF goiterous springs. After four weeks
their threats would show swellings
large enough to cause their rejection
by the army surgeons. This accom-
plished, they would promptly resort 70
another source of water supply, the
trouble soon disappearing
The discovery within recent years
that many diseases are caused ny
germs has naturally led to a suspicion
that some species Of micro organism
might be responsible for goiter. But
earnest search for such mischief
maker has been in vain hitherto. The
problem, up to now, has remained one
of the great mysteries unsolved by
medical science.
Attacks Entire Communities.
hardly to be Orcr-estimated. In
Switzerland there are valleys In which
/ practically all the inhabitants are more
/ or less afflicted. There are districts
/ Of far northern India in which il is
/ hard to find a man, or child who IS
I free from the disease. At the present
{ time there are i'm France more than
! 1900 or Cretins and cretinOus idiots,
( the Offspring Of gOitrOus parents
/ Many children of such parentage are
/ deaf mutes
! Goiter is occasionally epidemic; il
I has been known to break out IN
/ schools. Young people are more liable
/ to it than older persons. On the ar
rival of fresh troops i'm the afflicted
! districts of northern India, il is the
! young soldiers who first manifest the
! symptoms. When they 20 away. il
! soon disappears. only in its later
/ stages is the malady incurable. 4
! degenerative process sets in, tht
| growth becomes In some eases enOr-
I nous, the general nedlln suffers. auC
the mind is liable to become enfee-
/ bled.
The first really important steps lead
ing to the discovery Of the cause OF
| goiter were accomplished through eN
/ periments made fer the purpose oil
! producing the disease artificially in
rats. guinea pigs dogs and othe1
animals When supplied with drink
| ing water from gOitrous springs, they
soon developed it, Further and more
: recent experiments have proved tina
1 the malady can he readily produced in
human beings by the same means, th'
swelling usually making it's appearance
| Visibly by the fifteenth day.
Water Does II.
| tt Is. then. tho water that does II
But If the goitrous water be boiled
is has no bad effect at all
This single, all important fact having