Effects of Thyroidectomy on the Cutaneous System in the Sheep and Goat

Thyroidectomy in the sheep has a marked effect on the cutaneous system, causing, in certain cases, a falling out of the wool, and in all a diminution in the weight of the fleece when shorn. 2. In one case it is uncertain whether the extensive shedding of the wool was due to thyroidectomy or to an excessive dose of thyroxin. 3. There is reason to believe that a condition comparable with myxœdema in man may be induced in the sheep by removal of the thyroid glands. 4. Both in sheep and goats the rate of horn growth is markedly retarded by thyroidectomy ; and 5. This is not due secondarily to an effect on the gonads, but rather directly to loss of the thyroid glands. The cost of this investigation has been defrayed by grants from the Sage Research Fund and the Heckscher Research Foundation of Cornell University.