Thymus feeding in exophthalmic goître / by David Owen.

  • Owen, David.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thymus feeding in exophthalmic goître / by David Owen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    ♦ 7 N the British Medical Journal of February 15th, 1895, I recorded a case of exophthalmic goitre of twenty years’ duration, in which thymus feeding was followed by restoration of health. The patient first came under observation in May, 1893. Ordinary remedies were tried, but without benefit. After taking raw thymus, obtained from the lamb, in doses of about a quarter of an ounce daily, for three months, the car- dinal symptoms disappeared, and the patient was able to work better than he had done for years. The treatment was discontinued in January, 1894. Three months later there was a return of goitre, tachycardia, and slight exophthalmos. He then resumed the thymus, taking half an ounce or more of the raw gland three or four times a week. By July, 1894, the eye symptoms and goitre had quite disappeared, the pulse was 72, though before treatment it was constantly over 120. He had greatly gained in flesh, felt quite well, and was able to work twelve hours a day as a labourer. The following autumn he found himself unable to take the gland any longer, on account of its nauseating effects. At the end of three months he complained of increasing weakness, and expressed a fear that the old disease was returning. He then again resorted to the thymus, taking it for two months, but this time with no benefit. This was very disappointing, but remembering that the lambing season corresponded with the spring, it occurred to me that the failure of the glands might be due to their having been taken from older sheep than before, so it was resolved to give calPs thymus a trial, as lamb’s was not obtainable. On March 22nd, 1895, the patient was worse than I had ever seen him, suffer- ing from intense dyspnoea ; the thyroid was large and pulsating, and there was violent throbbing of the carotids. The action of the heart was extremely tumultuous and irregular, pulse over 140. There were marked tremors of the hands, especially the left, and the whole body was much emaciated. The same night he took about half an ounce of calf’s thymus, and repeated the dose in the morning. During the following week he improved astonishingly. On March 23rd the patient felt much better, his breathing being much relieved. On March 2Gth, pulse 126, but the action of the heart not so thumping and irregular as before, and the