Ellis Harold
Department of Anatomy, University of London, Guy's Campus, London, SE1 1UL.
J Perioper Pract. 2011 Jun;21(6):215-6. doi: 10.1177/175045891102100606.
Although the normal thyroid gland is invisible and impalpable, its enlargement gives such an obvious swelling in the front of the neck that this pathology has been observed from ancient times. Old names for the swollen gland included 'bronchocele', which means a cystic mass in the neck, 'struma', (Latin for a swollen gland) and 'goitre', which comes from the Latin word 'gutta', the throat, and which is a term which is still used today. The term 'thyroid' was introduced by the 17th century anatomist Thomas Wharton, of London, and is derived from the Greek word thyreos, a shield, based on its shield-like appearance wrapped over the front of the trachea. He believed that its function was to give women a beautifully rounded neck!
正常甲状腺看不见也摸不着，但甲状腺肿大时，颈部前方会出现明显肿胀，这种病症自古以来就为人所知。肿大腺体的旧称包括“bronchocele”（意为颈部的囊性肿物）、“struma”（拉丁语，意为肿大的腺体）和“goitre”（源自拉丁语“gutta”，意为喉咙，这个术语至今仍在使用）。“thyroid”一词由17世纪伦敦解剖学家托马斯·沃顿引入，源于希腊语thyreos，意为盾牌，因其呈盾牌状包裹在气管前方。他认为其功能是让女性拥有线条优美的颈部！
