[Report 1925] / School Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council.

  • Shropshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1925
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1925] / School Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Goitre. District. Dr. Priestley— Oakengates, Dawley, Madeley, Newport and Drayton. Dr. Blake— South of the County Dr. Evans— Oswestry and Ellesmere j Dr. Symons— Wellington, Ironbridge, Broselev . j Dr. Taylor— Atcham, Whitchurch, Bridgnorth, Wem. Totals . . Entrants. W Intermediates. 0 W Leavers. Entrants. O HH Intermediates. ^ cn Leavers. Total- No. of Children 395 37* 1 2 368 393 336 391 2254 Cases of Goitre 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 No. of Children . . 430 309 366 443 346 383 2277 Cases of Goitre . . 1 1 4 3 3 15 27 No. of Children . . 375 287 342 347 275 264 1890 Cases of Goitre 0 1 1 0 2 • 10 14 No. of Children . . 292 218 229 296 237 248 1520 Cases of Goitre 0 1 2 0 1 12 16 | 1 No. of Children . . 372 301 305 318 305 299 1900 Cases of Goitre 1 0 2 4 0 3 20 29 1 J 1864 i486 1610 1797 1499 1585 9841 • • • • | 1 5 11 3 9 58 87 The amount of goitre in school children as shown by this table is not large. Judging by the amount of goitre one sees in adults, particularly in young adult women, by far the larger pro¬ portion of obvious goitres must develop after school age. It is, I think, conclusively proved that the principal basal factor in the production of goitre is the insufficiency of iodine to meet the demands of the body. The suggested subsidiary causes are :— (1) Those interfering with the absorption or utilisation of the iodine taken into the body : (a) infections—probably contamination of water and food with bacillus coli. (b) excess of fat in food. (c) excess of calcium—hard waters. (2) Increased demands for thyroid secretion : (a) during pregnancy and lactation. (b) during adolescence. (c) amongst girls compared with boys. These additional causes of goitre give a rational explanation of the fact that even in a district very deficient in iodine, only a certain proportion of the population suffers from goitre.