Sporadic cretinism, or congenital myzedema, is characterized by a
congenital absence of the thyroid, diminutiveness of size,
thickness of neck, shortness of arms and legs, prominence of the
abdomen, large size of the face, thickness of the lips, large and
protruding tongue, and imbecility or idiocy. It is popularly
believed that coitus during intoxication is the cause of this
condition. Osler was able to collect 11 or 12 cases in this
country. The diagnosis is all-important, as the treatment by the
thyroid extract produces the most noteworthy results. There are
several remarkable recoveries on record, but possibly the most
wonderful is the case of J. P. West of Bellaire, Ohio, the
portraits of which are reproduced in Plate 11. At seventeen
months the child presented the typical appearance of a sporadic
cretin. The astonishing results of six months' treatment with
thyroid extract are shown in the second figure. After a year's
treatment the child presents the appearance of a healthy and
well-nourished little girl.
Myxedema proper is a constitutional condition due to the loss of
the function of the thyroid gland. The disease was first
described by Sir William Gull as a cretinoid change, and later by
William Ord of London, who suggested the name.
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