Goiter. Ever heard of this condition/disease? A goiter was a non-malignant growth on the thyroid gland. It was only ugly and not a problem unless it grew large enough to impinge on the esophagus or windpipe. Nobody has goiters today….. know why?

This photo, ca 1900, was of a lady living in Wisconsin. She obviously has a horrendous goiter. Here’s the story, as I understand it:

People living along the seacoasts ingested plenty of iodine….. salt water, salt spray, etc. But those living in the Midwest had no such natural source of iodine and it was iodine deficiency that caused goiters. That’s why today we have iodized salt.

Now you know.