THE PITUITARY BODY 



adult female rat on a diet contraining no vitamin E (Row- 

 lands and Singer, 1936). The reduction is comparable to that 

 occurring on the sixteenth day of pregnancy in normal rats 

 (50-60 per cent of the normal value). The pituitary of ani- 

 mals which recover from the vitamin deficiency contains as 

 much as or more hormone than the normal female gland. Vi- 

 tamin-E deficiency is accompanied by no conspicuous change 

 in pituitary weight.''** 



According to Orent-Keiles, Robinson, and McCollum 

 (1937) a sodium-deficient diet brings about, in the female 

 rat, a delay in sexual maturity and a serious disturbance in 

 the oestrous rhythm as well as other phases of reproductive 

 physiology. The animals do not mate. Males, however, re- 

 main fertile for 2.5-3 months. To what extent pituitary func- 

 tion is altered is not known. 



Riddle and Dotti (1936) concluded that pituitary gonado- 

 tropic hormone causes an increase in the concentration of 

 serum calcium in the pigeon (normal, hypophysectomized, or 

 thyroidectomized) but not after gonadectomy. Other pitui- 

 tary extracts, not containing gonadotropic hormone, were 

 without action. They believed that oestrogens but not andro- 

 gens had a similar action in the pigeon, fowl, and dog (but 

 not the rabbit); often their results were sufficiently irregular 

 as not to be convincing. Kozelka and Tatum (1937) found 

 that the injection of 150 rat-units (total dose.'*) of gonado- 

 tropic hormone lowered the serum calcium of rachitic dogs 

 1.7 mg. per cent (from 10. i to 8.4 mg, per cent). 



Neoplastic growths and the gonadotropic hormones of the 

 pituitary body. — Both Katz (1936) and Druckrey (1936-37) 

 concluded that pituitary gonadotropic hormones antagonize 



^° Selye and Collip (1936) reported that rats on a "deficent diet" (50 per cent 

 ground beans, 50 per cent "Purina") went into permanent dioestrus with ovarian 

 atrophy. Inasmuch as the ovaries of such animals responded to prolan in a typical 

 fashion, the authors concluded that the diet led to a failure of secretion of gonado- 

 tropic hormone by the pituitary. 



Teresa (1937) believed that the amount of gonadotropic hormone in the pitui- 

 tary of the mouse fed a diet lacking vitamin B is less than normal. This observation 

 is contrary to that of Marrian and Parkes in rats. 



[ 102] 



