ABSTRACT
Radical removal of the thyroid gland may damage the recurrent laryngeal nerve with consequent hoarseness, remove the parathyroid glands with resultant tetany or result in hypothyroidism if insufficient functioning thyroid tissue remains. Operating on the thyroid in a patient with advanced hyperthyroidism in the days before effective drugs were available to control the metabolic complications of the overactive gland was hazardous indeed. The thyroid gland was known to Galen, who thought it produced a fluid to lubricate the larynx. Enlargement of the thyroid gland produced such an obvious physical change in the neck that it has been observed since early times. One common cause of thyroid enlargement is iodine deficiency. In the 19th century, the mortality of thyroid surgery was over 40%, and many leading surgeons advised against the operation. Thyroidectomy was condemned by the French Academy of Medicine in 1850.
