CONSTANTIN PARHON
(1874 - ?)
Romanian endocrinologist; a scientist of world reputation; Professor at the University of Bucharest. Member of the Romanian Academy and member of other Romanian and foreign Academies and scientific bodies. C. I. Parhon was the founder of the Romanian School of Endocrinology and one of the science founders in the world.
Practicing first as a neurologist and then as a psychiatrist, C.I. Parhon could investigate the cell structure of the spinal marrow, and demonstrate that there were vegetative centres on the cortex. He succeeded to largely collect clinical evidence as to psychosis, nervous syphylis, epilepsy, multiple hallucinations. He left behind the anatomo-clinical approach made by the then neuropsychiatric medical school, to promote new and original ideas in the field of medical science.
He made fundamental contributions to the progress of endocrinology, and in 1909 he co-authored with M. Goldstein the first book on endocrinology ('Secretiile interne'/'Internal Secretions')ever written in the world. He was among the first medical scientists to be preoccupied with the ovary internal secretion, and to emphasise the role of parathyroid glands in the calcium metabolism and of the thyroid gland in the lipidoses and glucidoses, etc. His contribution to the endocrinological diseases clinic also extended to the isolation and description of new syndromes: the hyperhydropexic syndrome (called Parhon's syndrom) and the nanism of hyperhypophysis. He reached important conclusions in the research work done in relation with the biochemistry of endocrinological syndromes, either clinical or experimental, the endocrine importance of epiphysis and thymus, as well as the age biology.
Main works: 'Handbook of Endocrinology' written together with M. Goldstein and St. -M. Milcu (3 volumes, 1945-1949), ' Old Age and its Treatment' (1948), 'The Age Biology' (1955), 'Selected Works' (5 volumes, 1954-1962).
