TO STAMP OUT GOITRE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19582, 11 September 1925, Page 2

TO STAMP OUT GOITRE.

THE USE OF lODINE. SHOULD BE ADDED TO SALT. CFbou Our Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, September 10. The prevalence of goitre in New Zealand, particularly in Canterbury, was tho subject of a lecture by a well-known Auckland surgeon, Mr Carrick Robertson. Tho lecturer said (hat there were several forms of goitre, but they were all some form of enlargement of the thyroid gland. This gland elaborated an internal secretion which exerted the most profound effects on the growth of the body. The secretion was given up in minute quantities to the blood as it passed through tho gland, and although it had long been known that iodine was a constituent, the bactive principle of the secretion had only recently been isolated. It had been called “thyroxin,” and was an active iodine compound. The importance attaching to the fact that a form of iodine was one of the outputs of tho thyroid gland, if not the main output was apparent when the widespread incidence of goitre in New Zealand was considered. It had been shown that in goitres, the iodine content was reduced and if tho amount contained in the thyroid gland fell below one-tenth of one per cent. —the normal amount being about .17 per cent. —an overgrowth of tho thyroid gland or goitre took place. In Canterbury it was found that 56 pier cent, of tho school children had enlargement of the .thyroid gland, in Wellington 20 per cent., in Otago 26 per cent., and in Auckland 26 per cent. The. Auckland figures, however, were not final, as they had not been worked out as carefully as in the South Island.In Cnristchurch the soil was deficient in iodine and the incidence of goitre was very high, whereas on Banks Peninsula the opposite conditions obtained. The drinking water in South Canterbury and Christchurch wits derived from artesian wells, and no iodine was recognised in it. The water supply of Banks Peninsula on the other hand was apparently contaminated by sea water which contained iodine, and this water supply therefore had sufficient iodine to maintain tho iodine intake of the body for Banks Paninsula was clear of goitre. Alter referring to the fact that tho body got its iodine chiefly through food, particularly vegetables, and that vegetables grown in soil containing no iodine naturally contained no iodine themselves, Mr Carrick Robertson said that it was obvious that there must be something more than tho mere 'presence or absence of iodine in tho soil to account for the disease. If it wore not so tho people living in well-iodised soil district would never have goitre, and people living in, say, the Canterbury Plains, would have all goitre. The explanation was that certain individuals required loss thyroid than others—tho nlocid typo for example. Then, again, there might ho just enough thyroid secretion to carry them through their normal existence, but should they have, say, an infectious fever which put a strain on their thyroid secro tion which could not moot the demand, tho gland would enlarge in consequence. Another probable reason was that, although there was plenty of iodine going in with food, there was some obstacle to Us absorption by the body. The speaker then turned to avenues by which iodine in sufficient ouantitios to prevent disease could bo administered without making some people ill by giving them too much. It could bo introduced to water systems, but this would bo expensive, and of no use in such an artesian district such as Christchurch, or by eating foods naturally rich in iodine. The cheapest way was that of putting iodine in salt used by everyone, a method partially adopted by the Health Department, one pound of iodine being added to 200.0001 bof salt- In Switzerland this method was introduced two years ago, tho nrocentago of iodine being one pound to 250,0001 b of salt, and in that time goitre operations had been reduced by 75 per cent., while the number of cretins—-persons in whom no thyroid gland was present at birth, and who showed a failure of physical and mental growthhad gone down by 50 per cent. It was estimated that from the quantity of salt used in - New Zealand each person would get a quarter of a grain of iodine a year, and that would bo sufficient to prevent children from getting goitre. In conclusion, Mr Carrick Robertson said, that it would appear that goitre could he almost stamped out of any country whore it was endemic by tho simple measure of increasing the intake of iodine, and he expressed the hope that what he had been able to tell in the course of his address would be sufficient to make overyonopresent an advocate for a law providing for the iodising of the salt used in tho country. If this were done and the treatment, of the salt made compulsory, goitre would soon be unknown in the land.