The Last Organ: How the Parathyroid Glands Were Discovered

The parathyroid glands are often called the last organ discovered in the human body. Their story runs from a dead rhinoceros in Victorian London to a sea captain in Boston whose seventh operation changed surgery. Head and neck surgeon Dr. Chris Lansford tells it as a light-hearted cartoon: Richard Owen's rhinoceros, Ivar Sandström's thirty pages, the mystery of tetany, the bone disease read backwards for twenty years, Felix Mandl's first operation in Vienna in 1925, the hormone, Captain Charles Martell, the blood tests and scans that moved the diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism from late to early, and the ten-minute hormone test used in today's operating rooms. Along the way: what the four parathyroid glands do (they set the calcium concentration in the blood), what happens when one or more become overactive (primary hyperparathyroidism: bones, kidney stones and more), and the rule Martell's case taught surgeons: when the gland isn't in the neck, look in the chest. Dr. Chris Lansford is a double board-certified head and neck surgeon and facial plastic surgeon in Bloomington, Illinois. More about hyperparathyroidism: https://doctorlansford.com/conditions... Treatment and surgery: https://doctorlansford.com/treatments... More videos:    / @doctorlansford   Chapters: 0:00 The seventh operation 0:32 A rhinoceros 1:29 A student at Uppsala 4:32 Tetany 6:16 Backwards 7:13 The first operation 8:18 The hormone 8:47 Captain Martell 9:36 Seven operations 11:00 Stones, bones and groans 11:53 Two blood tests 13:36 Finding the gland first 15:35 The ten-minute test 16:21 The last organ 17:06 Sources Key sources (all 26 with links in the pinned comment and on the cards at 17:06): Felger EA, Zeiger MA. World J Surg 2010;34:1805-10 (Owen's rhinoceros) Carney JA. Am J Surg Pathol 1996;20:1123-44 (Sandström) Johansson H. Ups J Med Sci 2015;120:72-7 (Sandström) Eknoyan G. Am J Kidney Dis 1995;26:801-7 Niederle B, Niederle MB. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2026;138:199-216 (Mandl, Martell, modern surgery) Berson SA, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1963;49:613-7 (the PTH assay) Spence HM. J Urol 1984;132:1204-7 (Captain Martell) Gaz RD, Wang CA. Am J Surg 1984;147:498-502 (late to early diagnosis) Coakley AJ, et al. Nucl Med Commun 1989;10:791-4 (sestamibi) Morris MA, et al. Front Endocrinol 2022;12:760419 (parathyroid imaging) Åkerström G, et al. Surgery 1984;95:14-21 (how many glands, and where) Narration uses an AI voice. The pictures and animation are AI-generated cartoons in a storybook style with code-drawn graphics; the anatomy is simplified and not to scale. Music licensed from Epidemic Sound. Portraits of Owen, Sandström, Gley and Voegtlin: Wellcome Collection, CC BY 4.0, cropped; the others public domain. Full picture credits in the pinned comment. Patients: to schedule an appointment, call 309-663-4368. DISCLAIMER FOR CONTENT We are doing our best to prepare the content of the Site, and this and other Video Content. Christopher Lansford does not make any representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the Site or Video Content. Christopher Lansford does not warrant the performance, effectiveness or applicability of any sites listed or linked to in any Video Content. The Site and Video Content are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen on the Video Content or the Site. Christopher Lansford hereby disclaims any and all liability to any party for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of the Site or Video Content, which is provided as is, and without warranties. However, Christopher Lansford cannot warranty the expressions and suggestions of the contents, as well as their accuracy. In addition, to the extent permitted by the law, Christopher Lansford shall not be responsible for any losses and/or damages due to the usage of the information on our website or videos. By using the Site or Video Content, you hereby consent to this disclaimer and agree to its terms. The links contained on our website or videos may lead to external sites or videos, which are provided for convenience only. Any information or statements that appeared in these sites or videos are not sponsored, endorsed, or otherwise approved by Christopher Lansford. For these external sites, Christopher Lansford cannot be held liable for the availability of, or the content located on or through them, nor any losses or damages occurred from using these contents or the internet generally. #parathyroid #hyperparathyroidism #medicalhistory