IODINE FOB GOITRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19124, 16 September 1925, Page 12

IODINE FOB GOITRE.

EXPERIMENT IN SCHOOLS. A STRIKING TESTIMONY. THE CANTERBURY DISTRICT, [BY TELEGRAPH.. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] CHRISTCHTJRGii. Tuesday. "The results to send forward this year aro more strongly in favour of iodino administration than ever before," says Dr. E. Baker McLaglen, school medical officer for tho Canterbury district, in a report to tho Canterbury Education Board regarding goitre among school children. Tho report, wr'hich will be considered at next meeting of tho board, said inter alia that the resfults of goitre experiment wero most gratifying. The purpose for which it was undertaken was to discover the effect of the administration of iodino on tho thyroids of school children. This was now, tho doctor thought, so clearly shown that it was questionable if further time should be spent on it. The sum total of the observations of 1152 children under observation or treatment respectively for aill classes of goitro was as follows: —The observations covered 249 boys not treated and 329 treated, 231 girls not treated and 343 treated. Tho percentage of untreated boys in which the goiire manifestations wero stationary was 60.2, and among the treated boys 49.5. For girls the respective percentages were 53.6 and 43.4. Tho percentages of cases showing increase are most remarkable. Of tho boys not treated the percentage showing increased signs of goitre was 22.1, and of the girls 34.2. Of the boys treated the percentage showing increase was only 0.9, and of girls j ouiv 4.9. Almost as remarkable were the percentages showing decrease. Among the untreated boys- observed 17.6 per cent, showed deceased goitre signs, and among the treated cases the percentage was 49.5. Of untreated girls 12.1 per cent, showed deceased goitre, and of the treated girls 51.6 per cent.