Marie Krogh's Contributions to the Study of Thyroid Physiology and Pathophysiology

Marie Krogh significantly advanced the study of thyroid physiology and pathophysiology, particularly in understanding the effects of thyroid hormones on metabolism. Her research showed that hyperthyroidism increased resting metabolism, while hypothyroidism decreased it. She developed methods to measure resting metabolism and explored the metabolic effects of iodine and thyroid-stimulating hormone, contributing to the understanding of the Wolff–Chaikoff effect. Her work with guinea pigs revealed that orally administered thyroxine and thyroid tissue-based agents had similar metabolic effects, with the latter being better absorbed. Although she did not succeed in creating a clinically viable thyroxine-like drug, her research laid the groundwork for future studies in thyroid endocrinology and contributed to the broader field, including the development of weight-loss drugs by Novo Nordisk A/S.