A GLAND IN THE THROAT REGULATES SLEEP.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2785, 20 September 1910, Page 7

A GLAND IN THE THROAT REGULATES SLEEP.

A BLESSED DISCOVERY

The scientists have still to find out what good the vermiform appen-

dix does anybody, but the thyroid gland, a little organ situated in the throat just below the larynx (the voice organ), which has hitherto been juet as much of a mystery to medical men, now turns out to be one of the roost important organs of the body. As the result of researches conducted by Dr. A. Lorand, a well known German scientist, it appears that this longdespised gland regu-

lates sleep, and gives it its value. In view of the fact that sleep has always been considered one of the most essential performances of the human body, the importance of the functions of the thyroid gland can hardly be over-estimated. In recent years it has been scientifically established that bodily and mental fatigue are both caused by actual poisons, or toxins in the system, which, in turn, are the result of physical and mental work. When the system is charged with these poisons, drowsiness overtakes it and does n»t disappear until the brain and body have enjoyed the benefits of sleep. But while the scientists have realised that these fatigue-poisons leave the system during sleep, they have been quite at a loss to explain the process by which they are expelled. Now, however, Dr. Lorand comes out with the assertion that it is the little gland in the throat through which the fatigue-poisons are collected and dissipated during sleep, and he has collected a lot of data in support of his theory.

While the exact functions of the thyroid gland have never been understood by the medical profession, experience has shown that in some way or other it exercises considerable influence on the rest of the system. When the gland becomes abnormally enlarged, resulting in the disease known as goitre, the brain is usually affected, and the wits become dulled. Then, again, whenever surgeons have removed the gland entirely in certain cases, the operation has been followed by symptoms of a most serious nature, of which mental dullness was the most common. But just why it was that the removal of a gland in the throat should have such a serious effect on the brain was a complete mystery to scientific men. HAVE YOU SLEEPING SICKNESS ? WHAT IT IS. Dr. Lorand's explanation is that removal of the gland results inevitably in auto-intoxication, i.e., selfpoisoning, and produces the distressing mental symptoms observed. In other words, the fatigue-toxins which accumulate in the human body cannot be thoroughly expelled without the action of the thyroid. The structure of the thyroid gland lends confirmation to the theory. Although it weighs but lirtle more than an ounce and is only about an inch and a half wide by an inch deep, it is profusely supplied with arteries and veins. It is easy to see how the poisoned blood, passing through these numerous blood vessels, may be purified and cleansed by the thyroid gland's peculiar properties and returned to the system entirely free from the toxins with which it was formerly charged.

Dr. Lorand's attention was first called to the functions of the thyroid gland while observing the condition of a man suffering from the sleeping sickness. He noticed that the man displayed the same unsteady walk, the same striking apathy, slow motion, deliberate speech, weakness of memory, dry skin, slow pulse, and other phenomena which characterise myxoedema, a disease which is known to arise from degeneration of the thyroid gland. Myxoedema frequently follows an infectious disease, and is- the result of the abnormal activity of the thyroid gland in its effort to protect the body from the effects of the infectious matter in the system. This overwork breaks down the gland and the disastrous systems follow. Inferring that the sleeping sickness might, be attended with a similar breaking down of the thyroid gland, Dr. Lorand administered thyroid tablets prepared from animal thyroid glands, to his sleeping-sickness patients, and was gratified to find that all of the distressing symptoms disappeared almost immediately.

Further research and experimentation showed that the removal or degeneration of the thyroid gland pro-

duced sleepiness, and that, on the other hand, an overactivity of the same gland produced sleeplessness. Dr. Lorand found that sleepiness could he remedied by increasing thyroid activity, which he accomplished by administering thyroid-gland extract.—"Popular Science Siftings."