The Parathyroid Glands and Metabolic Bone Disease [antikvár]

PREFACE AND CRITICAL REVIEW COMBINED On starting to write the preface, it occurred to the authors that it might be well to incorporate their own critical review. The thought existed, it must be admitted, that, by pointing out the shortcomings in particular, the wind might be taken out of the sails of those of the reviewers who will be impressed largely by the faults of this work. In other words, we are incorporating a little prophylactic criticism. What is meant by the last two words in the title, "Selected Studies?" What studies were selected? Were they selected in order that the final presentation might be a systematic covering of the entire field? Were they selected for clinical importance? No, they were selected because the authors had had somé first-hand experience with them and felt that they might have something to contribute. To this fact are to be attributed largely the many glaring hiatuses on the one hand, the over-emphasis of certain other features on the other hand. Where one of the "selected studies" had previously been published, the authors did not hesitate to incorporate large sections of it almost verbatim; they attempted with every section, however, to bring it up to date and to integrate it closely with the new data. For those who are not familiar with previous publications from our group, it might be stated that we are not content merely to present data; we attempt, where possible, to develop an hypothesis upon which to hang the observations. The hypotheses—it almost follows—are subject to change without notice. The authors are aware of somé of the liberties they have taken with the English language. They have used many medical colloquialisms. They have followed the current vogue in medical writing of using nouns for adjectives. It is more convenient, if not such good English, to use the expression "serum phosphorus" instead of "level of phosphorus in the serum." The Germán language, by running several nouns together into one word, can cope with the difficulty more simply and accurately; it would employ the expression, "Serumphosphorgehalt." In a way, this work represents an incomplete summary of studies on calcium metabolism carried out on the Metabolic Ward (Ward 4) of the Massachusetts General Hospitál over a period of 24 years. Researchers have come and researchers have gone, but the studies on calcium metabolism have continued uninterruptedly. Indeed, neither of the present authors was a charter member of this group of metabolic investigators; credit for the initial impetus belongs to Dr. Joseph C. Aub and his asso-ciates for their now classical studies on lead poisoning [Aub, Fairhall, Minőt, and Reznikoff (1925)].