I heard on a radio talk show that early 20th century researchers looking into what we call Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and what they called Crib Death, decided to irradiate thyroids on the basis of a mistaken belief that the victims had abnormally large thyroids. This led to many cases of cancer and eventually deaths.
Anyone know the veracity of this? Any details on who the bright spark was that developed the idea?
Any info at all is appreciated!!!
chris
I’m not sure about early in the 20th century, but it was a viable hypothesis in the late 20th century - the 1970s through the end of the 90s had quite a bit of research in the area:
Periodical Medical Hypothesis: The Iodine-Selenium Connection In Respiratory Distress And Sudden Infant Death Syndromes
I’m not honestly sure where we’re at with it currently.
They were probably discussing irradiation of the thymus, not the thyroid. Whether or not this really worked or not, or if it really caused problems, I cannot say, but if you google ‘thymus irradiation’ you will find some hits. A lot of them look to be hysterical and/or conspiracy fodder.
http://www.ratical.org/radiation/CNR/PBC/chp9.html
“From 1924 to 1946, it was the policy of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston to apply prophylactic irradiation in every case in which an “enlarged” thymus gland was diagnosed in infancy. The assessment of the size of the thymus gland was based upon an anteroposterior roentgenogram of the chest taken in expiration with the patient in the supine position. Whenever the width of the superior mediastinum was at least half the width of the heart the gland was characterized as enlarged' or suspicious,’ and the child was given radiation treatment; if the gland was less than half the width of the heart the child was not given radiation. On the basis of these criteria, 1,131 children received thymus gland radiation in the 22-year period.”
Only some of those 1000 were infants , and non-infants were not thought at risk of SIDS .
There are other throat issues, such as “adenoids” and tonsils growing too large - they thought they were treating serious problems. ???