GOITRE

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21732, 14 March 1936, Page 22

GOITRE

TO THE EDITOB 01 THE. WtBSS. Sir,—As ojje who has been suffering from goitre, I was quite naturally interested in the letters of to-day and yesterday dealing with cures for. this serious complaint. The letter over the nom-de-plume "cure" was particularly illuminating and interesting. If «■*h an organic iodine oyster-treatment:be-comes a universal treatment and is fully recognised, I (knowing what I at present do about the virtues of organic iodine) feel sure that the proprietors of this remedy will be conferring a public benefit far and away ahead of the price that will be asked* I, like "Cure" and "Prevention" would welcome further details of the new, product and hope that someone closer in' touch with its value will enlighten me. lodine deficiency is the real and underlying cause of goitrous troubles. Medical men admit this'. Therefore, if this new product can supply an abundance of organic iodine in assimilable form, its potentialities and - worth will be tremendous.— Yours, etc., SUFFERER. March 13, 1936. TO ,TKB BDITOE Of THE PRESS. Sir,—The general disappointment of the public with the members of the British Medical Association will not be lessened by the footnote to "Prevention's" letter in "The Press" yesterday. Goitre is prevalent- in young people and children. It is evident then that the predisposing cause is in operation in childhood, and may possibly be prenatal. Does Dr. Telford suggest salt for babies! If so, how is it to be administered? Has the doctor not heard of "soil deficiency," and the possibility of the soil of the Canterbury Plain's being deficient in iodine, and of milk, butter, and vegetables produced therefrom being likewise deficient? More than 12 months ago a party of scientists from the United States visited Otago, and spent a considerable time at the seaside testing and carding sea-r weed, which they declared to contain the cure for goitre. They took the results of their labours back with them to the United States, and apart from a slight notice in the Dunedin papers, little attention was paid to their visit. Permit, me to conclude with a question,- that some of your correspondents may be able to answer. Is is true that the medical course at the Otago University includes little or no study of diet, and that there are strained relations between the Medical School and the Home Science Department (the latter specialises in the study of diet)? —Yours, etc., SUBSCRIBER, March 13, 1936. TO THK KDITOS 0» TH» PEBSS. Sir, —In reply to the footnote to my letter on goitre. I wish to say that we, as a family, have taken iodised salt for about 20 years, but this did not save us from goitre. I believe most people use iodised salt, but goitre still flourishes. My object in writing my first letter was to ascertain if the health authorities could suggest some additional preventive, so that parents might have the satisfaction of protecting their children from this very prevalent complaint.—Yours, etc., PREVENTION. March 13. 1936.

"TO THE EDITOR OF TBS PXBSS. SjLr,—Your progressive series of letters ?rupon (he above subject is now. leading up to the real cure. Goitre, we are told, is an enlargement of the thyral gland, the function of wnicht is to cleanse the dirt from the bloodstream. A surplus of dirt causes ntaure to enlarge the gland to meet the demand. This enlargement men: name goitre. The cure is to cleanse the bloodstream until it is pure enough to allow of the gland's shrinking again to its normal size. One should eat only the purest and freshest of foods; in fact, follow the newer and more rational diet lines of to-day's newer thinking, and, having regained health through purification, take every care to avoid "making any retrograde step that would put one in the way of making any of the errors that originally caused the extension of the gland. Such are the lines of healing put to his class by the recent American graduated professor, when lecturing on mentality, when he brought to our people the modern trend of such lines of power thinking from overseas; and there is strength and health to be found in them.—Yours, etc., _ •.■/■■•' KANU TAKET. March 13, 1936.