So, it all started when I saw this image on Tumblr (warning: the picture is very disturbing). The caption said that the person in the image was suffering from a thyroid condition known as Utrechtse Krop brought on by a lack of Iodine in the drinking water of Utrecht.
However, upon further research I discovered that the picture was from a book of photographs by Paul Kooiker featuring photographs from the Utrecht University Hospital- a book called Utrechtse Krop. Essentially, I was left unsure if that is the name of the disease, just the name of the book, or if it is even a real condition.
Does anyone know whether Utrecht even did have a lack of Iodine in the water? Did it cause health problems or the deformities pictured? Is Utrechtse Krop even a real disease, or just the name of the book? I think speaking Dutch could be very helpful here. Thanks for any info!
Utrechtse krop is the name of the book (and an exhibition in '99) and of a dissease, goitre, which is caused by not having enough iodine in your system. I don't think it's the disease shown in the picture though, goitre looks like this, krop is the Dutch word for,well, a crop.
Unfortunately i haven't been able to find anything about a lack of iodine in Utrecht specifically, just a statement that it used to be a common problem in the whole country.
