Читать книгу Old Age Deferred. The causes of old age and its postponement by hygienic and therapeutic measures онлайн

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Cutaneous eruptions may occur in fever or in Graves’s disease. In the same way as in many skin diseases they may be considered as the expression of an elimination of toxic products through the skin.

All the above symptoms of fever may be considered as expression of the efforts of nature to defend herself by eliminating toxic products. All toxic products which are the causes of infection act upon the thyroid gland, this organ, through increased activity, produces symptoms such as we see in Graves’s disease. That these symptoms, especially abundant perspiration, polyuria, and diarrhœa, typical in some infectious diseases, may be considered as the direct consequence of thyroid activity, can best be shown by the fact that the thyroid gland governs the functions of the skin, intestines, and kidneys.

That the symptoms of fever may be considered as due to increased thyroid activity is also shown by the fact that nearly all such symptoms may be produced by thyroid preparations. We have personally taken for experimental purposes, during ten months, thyroid tablets and experienced the sensation of heat, flushings, and abundant perspiration. It is interesting to note that all kinds of wounds and contusions we got during the time we took these tablets, healed with surprising rapidity with fine granulations far better than previously; on the other hand, we very frequently suffered from tonsillitis and acne eruptions.