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Chronicle (Levin), 10 September 1946, Page 8

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tlie Department of Health.-)

IODINE AND GOITRE

(By

The elemeut iodine was discovered in 1311 by Courtois. He experimented with salts of the element, giving them to human beiugs. It was noticed that goitres sometimes grew less in size, 01 stopped causing symptoms. The ancient Greeks many centuries bel'ore had used burnt sponges as a treatment for goitre. Lt is now known these contained iodine. In 1895 Baumann demonstrated that iodine was present normally in the body and particularly in' the thyroid glancl and that there was less iodine mai) usual in the, thyroid gland when there was a simple goitre. In 1915 Kendall isolated thyroxine from the thyroid gland; this chemical contains 60 per eent. of iodine. Since then these faets are established The body needs every day a tiny quan tity of iodine if life is to be main tained. If we get some but not enougl. iodine, an enlargement of the thyroid gland, called a goitre, occurs. If we get too much iodine every day, the goitre will cause symptoms and beeome toxic in type, or we will get iodine poisoning — a 'flu-like attack, headaches. wasting, skin rashes. Iodine is esseiitiai to health, but too much is harmful. In New Zealand our soils vary in the amount of iodine, and foodstuffs produced thereon differ accordingiy in iodine content. Our general averag'e of soil iodine is low and henee our food shows a poor general average of iodine. Working 011 these facts, it was nationally agreed to iodise Our salt and supply the average clefi.eie.ncy that way. and at the same time advoeate^the usc of as much sea food as possil'ile, and cod liver oil. _ The result seems good. The importation of iodised salt is rieing and the amount of simple goitre is falling. So it seems wise and safe to urge you to

use iodised .salt — about a teaspoon for all purposes — each da}r, or two teaspoons of seaflieal if you will not use iodised salt. You should use one or the other to prevent simple goitre,