Cretinism historical perspective

Cretinism was first described by ancient Roman writers. In the 19th century, cretinism was described by physicians and travelers and some areas in Europe and North America were named as “goiter belts”.

• Cretinism was described by ancient Roman writers and they declared Southern Europe around the Alps as endemic areas.^[1]
• In 1848, the first study of goiter and cretinism was held in Italy to detect the goiter cases in the population.
• In the 19th century, cretinism was described by physicians and travelers. They did not know the cause of cretinism and linked it to polluted air and water in the Alps mountains.
• In the 19th century, some areas in Europe and North America were named as “goiter belts”.
• In the 20th century, the relationships of sporadic cretinism with congenital hypothyroidism and of endemic cretinism with hypothyroidism due to iodine deficiency were discovered.

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