The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1928-06-27
State Medical
Assn Bulletin


In the prevention of disease eff
may play an important part. One
of the principal eff" diseases in Min
nesota is goiter.
eff the drinking water of the Great
Lakes region, including Minnesota,
contained the element of iodine, there
would be fewer goiters," declares the
health committee bulletin of the
State Medical Association issued to-
day. Note the eff"
If iodine in proper quantities is
lacking in the drinking water Of a
growing person the thyroid gland in
the neck may become enlarged and
troublesome" continues the bulletin.
Science has discovered ways and
means to cure this deficiency.
'In this part of the country the
commonest goiter is usually known
as the simple goiter. 1t is harmful
in only two ways. 1t may cause
pressure on nerves or arteries in the
neck or it may be large enough to be
disfiguring. However, even this SIM
pie goiter occasionally is transform
ed into one of the dangerous types.
Therefore, it is advisable to have ev-
en- the simplest kind, as well as the
others, treated by a competent ply
sician.
"The reason why golfers are so
| common in the region of the Great
Lakes and in certain other portions
of the world is that the drinking wa
ter and the water which supplies plant
life is in these regions extremely
deficient in its content of iodine. One
of the essential functions of the thy
roid gland is to use the iodine which
occurs in the food and drink to pre-
pare material which is necessary
to regulate the growth and activity
of the body. When iodine is supplied
in too small an amount to enable the
thyroid to accomplish this purpose
the gland is frequently found to be-
come enlarged. This is usually ex-
planned as the result of an attempt
by the gland to make up for a de-
ficiency of supply by over-activity.
There may be other factors in the
cause of such golfers. But it is now
quite certain that the lack of iodine
is the essential factor which makes
the simple goiter so common in Min
nesota. d.
'The logical treatment which has
grown out of this knowledge has
been to supply sufficient amount of
iodine for the needs Of the gland, and
therefore, to enable it to accomplish
its purpose without growing too
large. In fact this treatment was
used long before the principles which
make it reasonable were understood.
1t is one of the things which have
been discovered by long experience of
the medical profession and which is
now explained and more definitely
urged by the study of goiter in Min
nesota and the neighboring states
during the last 10 years.
"Any treatment of an existing goit-
er by iodine or by surgery requires
careful medical examination and sup
ervision. No one would think of hav-
ing a goiter removed except by a
competent surgeon. On the other
hand, a great many people, do not
hesitate to attempt to use iodine
treatments for goiter without even
consulting physician. Of course, in
some cases, however, may lead to a
failure to get good results which
might be obtained by more accurate
and careful treatment. The real dan
ger, however, in iodine treatment of
goiter except under most careful sup
ervision, is that the treatment may
cause simple appearing goiter to
be an extremely dangerous one in a
very short time"