Their valuable
contribution has to be preserved and made available to the younger
generations of thyroidologists.
Roman authors had already reported in the 1st century AD the presence
of a swelling of the throat in populations living in the Alps. Stimulated
by clinical observations of patients suffering from goitrous diseases
and by the progress of the medical sciences, the interest for the
thyroid gland exploded in the 19th century. Iodine was identified
in 1812 by Bernard Courtois, a French chemist. In 1852, Chatin published
on the iodine content in waters and soils in various parts of Europe
and even evaluated the iodine intake of some populations. The key
discovery of the presence of iodine in the thyroid by Baumann in
1896 suggested the role of this halogen in thyroid economy. Iodine
started being used in the treatment of goitrous disorders but the
side effects resulting from the administration of too high doses
of iodine made its use controversial, even though a link had been
proposed between iodine deficiency and endemic goitre.
The 20th century notably
expanded our knowledge of the thyroid function and metabolism, particularly
after the 1950's, thanks to more detailed clinical observations,
the development of biochemistry and physical chemistry, the availability
of radioiodine and radioimmunoassays, the discovery of the autoimmune
mechanisms and later on, the advancements in molecular biology and
genetics.
The memoirs of some European
leaders in thyroidology which are presented in the ETA website are
the result of a friendly cooperation and teamwork between European
scientists, some having witnessed the life and career of these personalities
at different levels of their personal and professional relationships.
It is a pleasure for me to acknowledge their partnership and to
thank all those who have supported this project.
Pr Dr Christian Beckers, MD, PhD
University of Louvain Medical School (UCL, Belgium)
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