INCIDENCE OF GOITRE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22860, 15 October 1937, Page 14

INCIDENCE OF GOITRE

LOCAL RADIO-ACTIVITY VARYING lODINE CONTENT [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Thursday A possible relation between goitre and the radip-activity of rocks and soils in New Zealand was discussed by Dr. E. Marsden, secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, at a meeting of the biology section of the Wellington Philosophical Society. ' Some preliminary tests of radioactivity in soils had been carried out. Most radio-active soils were found on the Canterbury Plains and at Lower Hutt, where tho incidence of goitre was known to be high. "Though there appears to be a co-relation between local radio-activity and the incidence of goitre, this does not definitely involve causation," said Dr. Marsden.

Soils at New Plymouth had 22 times the iodine content of those at Palmerston North, Mr. R. L. Andrew told the meeting. Vegetables grown at Palmerston North contained 142 parts of iodine, and those at New Plymouth 165 parts in 1.000,000,000. On these figures it could be concluded there was no material difference in the content in the vegetables, but there was a much wider proportion of iodine content in the cows' milk of the two districts, tho Palmerston North content being 18.6 and tho New Plymouth 50. In eggs tho average content was 86 and 181 respectively.