CONTINUED ADMINISTRATION OF IODIDE AND OTHER SALTS

Abstract

The objections that have been raised against the prolonged administration of iodide in small doses are conspicuously unsupported by trustworthy evidence. The alleged deleterious effects are not clearly defined. The disturbing effects sometimes attributed to the use of iodide or iodine in the treatment for abnormalities of the thyroid may be due to the disease and not to the iodide. With the exception of the well known changes in the thyroid gland during hyperplasia and in cases of simple goiter and certain changes in the metabolism, important alterations in other organs and functions as a result of small doses of iodide have not been demonstrated. Marine's¹ statistical studies of clinical data indicate the lack of evidence of the alleged deleterious effects of iodide, and recently Read, Walker and McKenney² failed to demonstrate any effects on the pulse rate in human subjects observed during relatively short periods. Clinical data, however, could