Sometimes it can be interesting to look back at the history of thyroid medicine.
This paper was published in 1899 – just seven years after Murray published his paper on treating patients using animal thyroid extract. The changes in that short time were profound – in this paper we can already see reference to commercial thyroid extracts.
While interesting, it is very important to appreciate that some things discussed have been shown to be very wrong or misleading. It would be wholly inappropriate to use this document as any form of medical advice. Though, of course, reading might trigger various thoughts and ideas. We must be careful even with the basic understanding of medical terms and language which might have changed over time. Indeed, Dr Hertoghe himself continued practising for many years, publishing further documents. It is the fact that so much was appreciated even in the nineteenth century that is interesting. And possibly leads us to question how much has since been nearly lost to current diagnosis and understanding.
Some language, and images if you follow the link to the original document, might appear somewhat offensive, or upsetting.
The first part is a short review from the British Medical Journal, 21 Jul 1900, 2(2064):171-172 PMCID: PMC2462866.
The second part is the full document from the Royal College of Physicians and made available online by the Wellcome Collection, London. This was written and published in Paris, in French (though originating in Belgium) and has been presented here in both the original language and an English translation. Presented side by side so that the translation can be checked.
Who was Dr. E. HERTOGHE?
HERTOGHE’S SIGN
Lateral thinning of eyebrow hair; atopic dermatitis, hypothyroidism.
HERTOGHE, EUGÈNE LOUIS CHRÉTIEN
Belgian
physician, (1860—1928). Became vice-president of the Belgian Medical
Society and one the world’s foremost thyroid experts. Hertoghe taught of
the importance of diagnosing and treating the milder forms of low
thyroid. He gave remarkably detailed descriptions of the many problems
that could be caused by low thyroid function. Before any thyroid tests
became available, Hertoghe taught doctors how to diagnose and treat all
forms of this condition. He explained what to look for and what listen
for in order to identify this illness. Eugene Hertoghe also offered
remarkable examples of how patients could improve with treatment. He
reported that problems as diverse as hair loss, mental illness, dry
skin, and digestive problems could all be caused by hypothyroidism and
could be reversed with proper treatment. Hertoghe also noted that low
temperature was the most consistent finding of hypothyroidism.
http://www.odermatol.com/issue-in-html/2013-1-33-eponymsh/
From Dropbox:
Discussion thread on HealthUnlocked:
Last updated 11/02/2025
If you find anything incorrect, misleading, typos, links that don’t work, etc., please let me know. Go to my profile and use the contact details there.
