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History of parathyroid gland surgery: an historical case series

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2009

C E B Giddings ,
J Rimmer  and
N Weir
C E B Giddings*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Barts and The London Hospitals, London, UK
J Rimmer
Affiliation:
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, University College Hospital, London, UK
N Weir
Affiliation:
Mount Alvernia Hospital, Guildford, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Mr Charles E B Giddings, 74 Walpole House, 126 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7UN, UK. E-mail: charliegiddings@doctors.org.uk
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Abstract

The history of the parathyroid glands is a fascinating one full of famous medical names. The discovery of the glands was followed by laborious research into their anatomy, embryology and pathology and into the physiology of calcium metabolism; this led to the manufacture of hormone substitutes and, finally, to the refinement of surgical techniques. The glands were first identified in 1850 by Sir Richard Owen, conservator of the Hunterian Museum, but it was not until 1880 that the term ‘glandulae parathyroideae’ was first used. The physiology of parathyroid hormone and calcium metabolism eluded physicians and the forefathers of thyroid surgery alike for several decades more. Patients were treated as curiosities and were documented as untreatable medical patients or as inexplicable thyroid surgery complications. Halsted noticed the ‘disastrous results from the loss of the glands’ and the resulting tetany, as did Billroth. It is the patients, however, who best illustrate the journey of discovery. In this review, we discuss three cases, highlighting their contributions.

Keywords

HistoryParathyroid GlandsSurgery
Type
Review Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 123 , Issue 10 , October 2009 , pp. 1075 - 1081
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2009

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