The diseases described in text-books under the heading, "Diseases of the ductless glands," are usually chronic in their course. There are interesting exceptions to this rule. Fussell and Taylor have collected from literature 56 cases of acute leukemia in which death occurred in from two to three months. Graves' disease is still more strikingly chronic in its course. The number of fatal cases of acute Graves' disease reported by American authors is remarkably small. The only fatal cases which I have been able to find are those of J. H. Lloyd 1 and F. P. Henry. 2 A few cases have been reported in which the symptoms of Graves' disease came on suddenly, lasted for a few days, and disappeared with recovery. In French, and especially in German, literature, the reported cases are more numerous, but still rare. Cases of this interesting form of the disease have been reported by