IODINE CONTENT

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 149, 27 June 1930, Page 17

IODINE CONTENT

SOILS AND WATERS

SIGNIFICANCE IN GOITRE

The acquaintance of most people with iodine extends only to a bottle of dark fluid, which, when applied to the skin in the case of cuts or bruises, leaves a stain which takes some .time to eradicate. But iodine: has a much more,, recondite significanc j in our daily lives than that. In fact, iodino is assuming a very important place amongst the factors that count for the wellbeing or otherwise of human boings and stock too. So much was made clear on Wednesday at a general meeting-of the Wellington" Philosophical Society, when two papers were read containing much interesting about _ iodine, a chemical element which was discover ed a little ovor 100 years ago as a constituent of seaweed. Since then it has been "shown to exist in soils and waters and elsewhere. The first of the two papers was by Mr. L. E. Andrew, who gave a briof account of the methods used by him_to determine the minute amounts of iodine in certain soils and waters of New Zealand. This research work on the part of Mr. Andrew is of great importance, and has received very favourable notice in England. Its value to New Zealand has been in connection with the study of supposed iodine-deficiency, diseases, such as goitre, which are prevalent in the country. This subject was treated in the second paper of the evening. Itodino, Mr. Andrew pointed out, occurs in such minute quantities that its detection calls for very exact methods. By the latest methods, however, as small a quantity as two parts in ten millions could be detected. The amount of iodine in the soil in New Zealand varied extensively, oven contiguous plots of ground showing marked differences. The popular theory, that the closer to the sea the more iodine, was' not in accordance with the results of soil analyses; in most cases, the facts wore reversed. The amount of iodine in the waters varied extensively too, and there seemed to bo no iodine in the soil and in the- water. "The Eolation of lodino to the Incidence of Goitro in Now Zealand School Children" was the titlo of the second paper, by Dr. E. A. Shore. His observations, based on the examination of well over 20,000 children, were illustrated by a series of graphs. These tended to show that, generally speaking where the iodine content of the soil is high, tile incidence of goitre is how, and where.the former is low the latter is high1. There were, however, certain anomalies which at present could not bo accounted for. Goitre incidence in school children was greater in girls than in boys, the percentage of goitro incidonce increasing about the time of puberty and thereafter dechnin 2* " In answer to a question during subsequent discussion, Dr. Shore said that it could not be definitely stated as yet that the iodine deficiency was tho sole factor to be considered in the incidence of goitre. .There might well be some other metabolic factor to be considered in the functional working of the liyroid gland.