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Show WHAT TO EAT rl AND WHY 'fo niton CouJLl55 V ' " , ' Discusses the Lxlj need for iodine Key Substance of the Thyroid Gland-Tells How to Avoid Iodine Starvation By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS 6 East 39th St.. New York CIO THE discovery of our vital need for iodine is one of the most thrilling chapters in the long history of scientific research. Many investigators contributed to our understanding of iodine hunger, but special credit is due to Dr. David Marine gave impetus to additional experiments experi-ments which increased our knowledge knowl-edge of the iodine requirement. The great danger periods are during pregnancy, childhood and adolescence. The diet of the expectant ex-pectant mother must include an adequate supply to protect herself and avoid the early development of simple goiter in the child. It is also essential to provide sufficient iodine for growing children, chil-dren, as the incidence of the disease dis-ease increases steadily up to the eighteenth year in girls; in boys it reaches its peak at twelve. Some investigators also claim that one way to enhance the action ac-tion of the glands after middle life, and so prolong youth, is to include in the daily diet some foods with a high iodine content. and his co-workers; and to Dr. E. C. Kendall of the Mayo Clinics at Rochester, Minn. Today we- know that although al-though it constitutes only about one part in three million mil-lion parts of the body weight, iodine is so essential that its absence from the diet may have the gravest consequences. conse-quences. -- Thyroid The. Gland of Glands Iodine is necessary for the normal nor-mal functioning of the thyroid gland, situated in the front part of the neck. The thyroid is so important im-portant that it is often regarded as the throttle which governs the human locomotive, and when it fails to function normally, the body machinery may be thrown out of balance. Thyroid disturbance during childhood may affect mental and physical development, and many children have been accused of laziness who are suffering from thyroid deficiency. Thyroid disorder disor-der may be a complicating factor in obesity, and specialists have found that it is associated with many stubborn skin diseases. It is also claimed that iodine starvation starva-tion influences mental make-up and emotional tendencies. -Disfiguring Goiter Simple goiter is a common disorder dis-order of the thyroid gland. At one time the very mention of this disease terrified girls and women, who feared the unsightly lump in the neck which disfigures the victim. vic-tim. Now, thanks to dramatic experiments, ex-periments, we know that simple goiter is an iodine deficiency disease. Nature's Storehouse of Iodine It is the duty of every home-maker home-maker to learn where the necessary neces-sary iodine can be obtained and to include iodine-rich foods in the daily diet, but it is especially important im-portant for those living in "the goiter belt." This area stretches along the Appalachian mountains, as far north as Vermont, westward west-ward through the basin of the Great Lakes to the state of Washington, and southward over the Rocky Mountain and Pacific states. - Iodine-Rich Foods The sea is the great storehouse of iodine and hence, the most abundant sources are sea food, including in-cluding salmon, cod, crabmeat and oysters; cod liver oil; and salt. Fruits and vegetables grown near the sea contain varying amounts of iodine, depending upon K Animal Experiments Point the Way In 1916, it was estimated that a million young pigs died annually in Wisconsin. Investigation disclosed dis-closed that their thyroid glands were abnormally large and abnormally ab-normally low in iodine. When iodine io-dine was administered to the mothers, the young pigs were born normal. Scientists reasoned that if goiter could be prevented in animals, it could be prevented in humans, and undertook the now famous census in Akron, Ohio. A study was made of the thyroid glands of all school girls from the fifth to the twelfth grades. Almost 50 per cent were found to have enlarged thyroid glands. The girls were given small doses of sodium iodide dissolved in drinking water at given periods over Vh years. At the end of that time, investigators found that of 2,000 pupils, only 5 developed thyroid enlargement. Of the same number not treated, 500 showed enlargement. --Danger --Danger Periods This demonstration aroused the interest of the scientific world and |