The therapeutic uses of the thymus gland / Solomon Solis-Cohen.

  • Solomon Solis-Cohen
Date:
[1900]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The therapeutic uses of the thymus gland / Solomon Solis-Cohen. 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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    Whether these cases are really examples of disease of the thymus or of an unfortunate effort of nature to overcome some other disease, I, at least, do not know. The function of the gland will have to be better known before we can decide; and until we know both the phys- iology and pathology of the organ better than we now do, we shall lack a sure basis for thymic therapy. CONTRADICTORY OBSERVATIONS AND DIVERSE PREPARATIONS. • Clinically, too, we are confronted with the contradic- tory reports of equally competent observers upon the therapeutic action of the thymus gland in various cases of disease. One reason for this is to be found in the very varying nature of the preparations administered. In the beginning the fresh glands of recently slaugh- tered animals were used. Later, commercial prepara- tions—desiccated powders, tablets, glycerin extracts and solid extracts—have been employed. I wrote to the leading manufacturers of America and England in order to get some idea of the manner in which the preparations on the market are made. Messrs. Burroughs & Wellcome, to my surprise, excused them- selves from replying to my query. Messrs. Parke, Davis & Company said they used only the glands from sheep, usually young ones, such as the butchers sell for sheep, usually young ones, such as the butchers sell for lamb. Messrs. Armour & Company said that the glands were taken from calves, 3 to 4 weeks old, after these animals had passed the government inspection. Neither of these houses mixed the glands of different kinds of animals. They both courteously and fully de- scribed their process of selection and desiccation. The Phospho-Albumen Company replied that they used the thymus gland from young lambs (young sheep) only, and described the process by which they make an ex- tract instead of a desiccated preparation. These three American preparations, as we see, differ from each other either as to the source or method of preparation. If we could have the active agent or agents, our therapy- would be more scientific and our observations more definite. The dose of thymus preparations at present, is “enough.” Small doses arc best, at first, given tenta- tively, to determine individual reaction and tolerance,
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