In 1500, a renowned artist named Leonardo da Vinci was the first who recognized and drew the thyroid gland. In 1834, Robert Graves was the first who described a syndrome of palpitation, goiter, and exophthalmos. In 1857, Maurice Schiff was the first to perform successful total thyroidectomies in animals. In 1895, Adolf Magnus Levy was the first to describe the influence of the thyroid gland and thyroid hormones on the basal metabolic rate. In 1947, Cope, Rawson, and McArthur were the first who described the usage of radioactive iodine for demonstration of a "hot" thyroid nodule. In 1948, T. Templa, J. Aleksandrowicz, and M. Till were the first who described the usage of fine needle thyroid biopsy as a diagnostic method for thyroid nodules.
Historical perspective
In 40 BC, Pliny, Vitruvius, and Juvenal were the first who documented the prevalence of goiter in the Alps. They also used the burnt seaweed for treatment of goiter.
In 138, Soranus, a Greek physician, reported a case of neck swelling following pregnancy.
In 961, Abul Kasim, a physician in Cordoba, was the first who described thyroidectomy and to perform a needle biopsy.
In 1500, Leonardo da Vinci was the first who recognized and drew the thyroid gland.Leonardo da Vinci painting of a woman with goiter Courtesy to Wikipedia
In 1543, Andreas Vesalius was the first who provided the first anatomic description and illustration of the thyroid gland.
In 1563, Eustachius was the first who introduced the term "isthmus" to describe tissue connecting the two lobes of the thyroid gland.
In 1602, Felix Platter was the first who described cretinism found in Valais region of Switzerland.
In 1947, Cope, Rawson, and McArthur were the first who described the usage of radioactive iodine to demonstrate a "hot" thyroid nodule.
In 1948, T. Templa, J. Aleksandrowicz, and M. Till were the first who described the usage of fine needle thyroid biopsy as a diagnostic method for thyroid nodules.
In 1949, R. G. Hoskins was the first who described negative feedback of thyroid gland on pituitary, a mechanism that he called "servo (feedback) mechanism".
In 1950, J. B. Stanbury was the first who described the genetic abnormality association with thyroid hormone synthesis.
In 1959, J. B. Hazard, W. A. Hawk, and G. Crile were the first who described medullary thyroid cancer as a distinct entity.
In 1965, S. Berson and R. Yalow were the first who described radioimmunoassay procedure.
In 1966, R. F. Rohner, J. T. Prior and J. H. Sipple were the first who described multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 and reported some cases.
In 1970, A. Schally and R. Guillemin were the first who discovered TRH separately from each other.Courtesy to wikimedia
Treatment history
In 2700 BC, seaweed was used for the treatment of goiter.
In 340, Ko-Hung, a Chinese alchemist recommended seaweed for treatment of goiter among people living in mountains.
In 650, Sun Ssu-Mo, another Chinese physician, used dried, powdered mollusca shells and chopped thyroid gland for the treatment of goiter.
In 1200, Arnaldus de Villanova reported that marine sponges could be used to treat goiters.
In 1475, Wang Hei, a Chinese physician recommended treat of goiter with minced thyroid gland.
In 1857, Maurice Schiff was the first to perform successful total thyroidectomies in animals.
In 1891, G. R. Murray was the first who described the effect of thyroid hormone extract in treating myxedema.
In 1905, Dr. Robert Abbe was the first who treated the Graves disease by implanting radium into the patient's goiter.
In 1914, E. C. Kendall was the first who isolated thyroxine.
In 1917, M. Seymour in Boston was the first who described the use of X ray for treating Graves disease.
In 1924, H. S. Plummer at the Mayo clinic was the first who described the pre-operative usage of iodine for Graves disease treatment.
In 1928, Harington and Barger were the first who described the chemical structure of thyroxine and synthesize it.
