Fritz de Quervain
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Fritz de Quervain (1868-1940) was a Swiss surgeon, and a leading authority on thyroid disease. He practiced surgery in Basel, Bern and Neuchâtel during his career.
De Quervain published many papers devoted to thyroid disease, ranging from the epidemiology of the disease to technical procedures on thyroidectomy. His book of "Special Surgical Diagnosis" was a leading textbook on surgery in its day.
He is responsible for introducing iodized table salt in order to help prevent goiter. Two eponymous diseases are named after De Quervain:
- De Quervain's thyroiditis: Subacute, non-bacterial inflammation of the thyroid gland, often after viral infection of respiratory tract.
- De Quervain's disease: inflammation of the sheath or tunnel that surrounds two tendons that control movement of the thumb. Sometimes called "washer woman's sprain".
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