“ MYXOEDEMA (or athyrea) , the medical term for a constitutional disease (see Metabolic Diseases) due to the degeneration of the thyroid gland, and occurring in adults; it may be contrasted with cretinism, which is a condition appearing in early childhood. There are two forms, myxoedema proper and operative myxoedema (cachexia strumipriva) . (1) Myxoedema has been termed “Gull’s Disease” from Sir William Gull’s observations in 1873. Women are more often the Victims than men, in a ratio of 6 to 1. ”