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21-Jul-2008
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Arch Hellen Med, 25(3), May-June 2008, 384-388 HISTORY OF MEDICINE Thyroidectomy for goiter during the Byzantine period A. MANIOS,1 M. PAPADAKIS,1 M. FRAGAKIS,2 G. SCHORETSANITIS,1 D. TSIFTSIS1 |
The surgical treatment of thyroid disease was well known in the Byzantine times, as described by Aetius Amidinus and Paul of Aegina. Aetius Amidinus (6th century AD), using the classification of Heras of Cappadokia (1st century AD), categorized goiter into five types, suggesting surgery for three of them. On the other hand, Paul of Aegina classified two types of goiter, the steatomatous and the aneurismatical, mentioning that only the former can be safely operated on. During Byzantine times, the thyroid gland was not recognized as a distinct entity and might have been considered to be a lymph node. The term "thyroid gland" was first used by Thomas Wharton in 1656, whereas the first anatomic representation of the thyroid while had been executed by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1510. Nowadays, thyroidectomy is a very common surgical procedure, performed by surgeons of different training and background. Dr T. Kocher substantially contributed to this progress, gaining significant experience in thyroid gland function, which earned him the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1909.
Key words: Byzantine medicine, Byzantium, History, Thyroid disease, Thyroid surgery.
