The Quest for a Miracle Cure

Abstract

The word goiter was first coined in the early 17th century, and derives its origin from the French word goître. Goitre, itself, comes from the Latin word guttur, meaning throat [1]. In the early 1900s, iodine deficiency was recognized to be a reversible cause of goiter formation [2]. Over the course of time, numerous interventions and iodination programs have fought worldwide to provide adequate iodine supplementation. Although there has been tremendous success on the global front, goiters are unfortunately still prevalent in the northern submontane region of the Indian sub-continent [3]. This is indeed alarming, as goiter formation secondary to iodine deficiency and the subsequent impairment of thyroid hormone production, has been associated with deafness, mutism, cretinism, and a host of other mental and physical developmental abnormalities [4]. All these, in turn, can become a source of significant morbidity and perhaps even mortality.