Two sisters with cretinism are reported. Each showed low levels of serum triiodothyronine, thyroxine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). In the elder sister, serum TSH did not increase after administration of thyrotropin-releasing hormone. We conclude that cretinism in these 2 sisters was due to TSH deficiency. This is the second report of 'familial' pituitary cretinism (TSH-deficient conge...

In 1883 the Swiss surgeon and later Nobel laureate Theodor Kocher (1841-1917) made a journey to the Valais and Bernese Oberland. The purpose of the expedition was to see cases of cretinism which occurred in this area. Earlier in the same year Kocher had noticed that he had inadvertently created "artificial cretins" by total ablation of the thyroid gland. His objective now was to see whether the...

Dean, colleagues, I am very honoured by your invitation to give the Duncan lecture for 1997. In speaking of Dr Duncan’s legacy in a remote New Guinea valley, I would like to focus on the contribution made by research in cerebral palsy that has been carried out in Papua New Guinea and in Liverpool, dividing Duncan’s legacy into three time periods: Past—up to 1979; Present—1979 to 1997 and Future...