Endemic cretinism—a continuous personal educational experience during 10 years

Abstract

The processes involved in the progress of scientific knowledge have fascinated philosophers, scientific workers and non-scientists. Kuhn (1970), in his interesting essay on the structure of scientific revolutions, sees the road which the growth of scientific knowledge follows, not marked by discoveries but by what he names paradigms, ‘theories that gain their status because they are more successful than their competitors in solving a few problems …’ which are recognized as acute. Examples of paradigms in biology are, e.g. Berthold’s conceptualization of endocrinology in 1849; Mendel’s theory of inheritance; Medawar’s concept of immunological tolerance, etc.

Thyroid Hormone Receptor α Controls the Hind Limb Metamorphosis by Regulating Cell Proliferation and Wnt Signaling Pathways in Xenopus tropicalis

“…During this period, many organs, including the intestine and brain, are drastically remodeled to the adult form with distinct morphology compared to the fetal organs [5]. Thus, low T3 availability in humans causes cretinism characterized by profound mental retardation, short stature, and impaired development of the neuromotor and auditory systems [6].…”