HORMONES 



e. g., that of progesterone through the urinary ehmination of preg- 

 nanediol. 



Applications 



The study of hormones is of interest lo medicine and animal 

 husbandry. For medicine it is important to investigate: {a) the 

 physiological and nutritive conditions which will assure hormonal 

 equilibrium and which will secure better physical and mental health 

 during rest, exercise, or work; (b) the prevention and treatment of 

 the endocrine disturbances and esjiecially the more common disturb- 

 ances such as diabetes, endemic goiter, endocrine disturbances in 

 women, etc., by genetic, dietetic, and pharmacological methods; (c) 

 the prevention and treatment of disturbances due to abnormal internal 

 secretions, e. g., nephrogenic hypertension. The distinction between 

 specialists in diseases of metabolism and specialists in diseases of the 

 endocrine organs is quite artificial. Diabetes, for example, is the most 

 typical endocrine disease. The glands of internal secretion are the 

 regulators of metabolism and it is impossible to study cither endo- 

 crinology independently of metabolism or metabolism independently 

 of endocrinology. 



The study of the hormones is germane to the problem of animal 

 production because it gives a clearer understanding, and thereby wider 

 possibilities, of controlling phenomena such as heat, ovulation, fer- 

 tilization, pregnancy, number of offspring, breeding without de- 

 pendence on factors such as lactation, castration, time of the year, etc. 



The study and production of hormones has been converted into 

 a problem of national importance. There are enormous commercial 

 interests involved and a great number of technicians devoted to the 

 search, production, and commerce of hormones. This raises the 

 danger of both excessive and inadequate use of the hormones and of 

 exaggerated propaganda. 



At the present moment, the main problems of experimental 

 endocrinology may be classified in the following groups: (7) isolating 

 pure hormones and studying their actions, either separated or asso- 

 ciated, simultaneous or successive; (2) establishing the mechanism 

 of action of each hormone to determine whether they are direct or 

 mediated by other organs; (J) studying each organ's secretion from 

 the standpoint of the regulating factors and of its relations witli the 



205 



