Acromegaly / by Maximilian Sternberg ; translated by F.R.B. Atkinson.

  • Sternberg, Maximilian, 1863-
Date:
[1899]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Acromegaly / by Maximilian Sternberg ; translated by F.R.B. Atkinson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of similar cases in literature, and recognised in tKe affection a very cliaracteristic type of disease.” Klebs in tlie same publication treated tbe anatomical con- dition of tlie case vitli tbe greatest care. He defined it as gigantism,” and placed it, starting from general points of view, together with other most varied forms of gigantism in one group. Unfortunately this view of the excellent pathologist was based substantially on a regrettable cursoriness in reading the work of Langer. Klebs believed Langer had pointed to the enlargement of the hypophysis in such giants whose giant growth represents “ a simple increase of the jihysiologi- cal growth gradually and without special disturbance,” while Langer, as aforesaid, has declared, on the contrary, this form of giant to be a pathological change. This misunderstand- ing not only prevented Klebs from the right comprehension of his case, but, owing to the influence cf his opinion as expressed in his handbook, led later to an equally- to-be-regretted confusion on the part of French and Italian authors in the understanding of the relation- ship between gigantism and acromegaly. Klebs, more- over, also was the first to draw attention in this work to the enlargement of the thymus in his case, to which he ascribes the cause of the disease. Brit the communication of Fritsche and Klebs remained entirely disregarded by clinicians and pathological anatomists. The same occurred to the communication of Hadden and Ballance who, in 1885, submitted to the London Clinical iSociety a case described as “ hypertrophy of the sub- cutaneous tissues of the face, hands, and feet.” AVith this publication closes what may be termed the “ prehistoric ” period of acromegaly, for a j’ear later the before-mentioned work of P. Marie appeared. There are still a few odd publications of this time. There is one by Motais (188G), published as “a remarkable case of exophthalmos,” another described by Lancereaux in his hand- book of pathological anatomy, published in 1888, as ” morbxis Basedowii, with hypertrophy of the bones.” Two further cases were communicated by Wadsworth (1885) and Tresilian (1888) under the name of “ Myxoedema.”