THE GONADOTROPIC HORMONES 



the growth of malignant neoplasms. Their reasons were the 

 following: gonadectomy is followed by an inhibition of 

 growth (including metastases) of such malignant tumors as 

 tar cancer, the Jensen sarcoma, and the Flexner-Jobling car- 

 cinoma; this inhibitory effect is at its peak when the amount 

 of gonadotropic hormone in the gonadectomized animal's 

 pituitary is highest; the inhibitory effect of gonadectomy 

 may be somewhat antagonized by an oestrogen; the injection 

 of a gonadotropic extract (prolan, 5 rat-units on alternate 

 days) also may inhibit tumor-growth in both normal and 

 gonadectomized rodents. The report of Bischoff and Maxwell 

 (1936) directly contradicts this interpretation as far as trans- 

 planted sarcomata (180 and Rio) are concerned. Although 

 injections of prolan or pituitary gonadotropic hormone pro- 

 duced marked changes in the gonads, they did not inhibit 

 tumor-growth. 



The metabolism of the gonadotropic hormones of the anterior 

 pituitary!''' — Freed (1935), supplementing previous reports, 

 concluded that gonadotropic hormone, probably originating 

 in the pars glandularis, is found in the urine of children more 

 than 4-5 years old. The urine of children 10 years old con- 

 tains as much hormone as the urine of adults. According to 

 Frank and Salmon (1935), cyclic variations in the concentra- 

 tion of both follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hor- 

 mone can be detected in the blood and urine of normal wom- 

 en. They reported that the concentration of the hormones in 

 the blood increased about the 9-12 day of the menstrual 

 cycle and that a day or two later (10- 14 day) there occurred 



'" Engel and Werber (1937), confirming Anderson and Haymaker (1935), found 

 that tiss' e cultures of the pituitary of the mouse contain no detectable amount of 

 gonadotropic hormone. The degree of growth of the typical epithelial cells is not 

 affected by the previous treatment (e.g., gonadectomy) of the mouse furnishing the 

 pituitary tissue (see also chap. i). 



The relationship between the pituitary and the embryonic development of the 

 gonads in the goat, ox, pig, and sheep was investigated by Daineko (1936). 



Saxton and Loeb (1937), using the female guinea pig for assay, studied the 

 gonadotropic effects of the pituitary of man in relation to sex, age, pregnancy, and 

 lactation. Those interested should read the original report. 



[ 103] 



