111 years ago Theodor Kocher was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was the first surgeon ever to receive a Nobel Prize.
One of Kocher's accomplishments was his groundbreaking surgical solution related to the thyroid gland.
The thyroid gland is a gland in the neck that is destroyed by goiters, which can lead to difficulty in breathing in serious cases. This led to attempts to remove the gland by surgery. However, this was risky and could result in serious health problems.
In 1883 Kocher shed light on the thyroid gland's function in metabolism, and showed how surgery could be carried out more safely through good hygiene and minimal blood loss. He also showed that a viable part of the gland needs to be left intact during the operation. It is said that by using these scientific methods in surgery the mortality of thyroidectomies was reduced below 1% in his operations.
Photo: Solid cell nest of the thyroid gland. Theodor Kocher in Berne.
No comments:
Post a Comment