THE ANATOMY OF THE PITUITARY BODY 



basophils of the anterior pituitary invariably is associated with 

 typical pituitary basophilism'^ in the absence or presence of 

 basophil adenoma, a neoplasm of the thymus, or a hyperplasia 

 of the adrenal cortex. A similar hyaline change in a few cells 

 was found in 9 of 350 hypophyses of individuals without Cush- 

 ing's syndrome. Another careful investigator of the pitui- 

 tary, Rasmussen (1936), has fully confirmed Crooke's obser- 

 vations in three additional cases. Rasmussen also agreed 

 that such hyaline changes in the basophils are rare in other 

 diseases such as essential hypertension, eclampsia, etc. 



Hawking (1936) as well as Rasmussen (1936) have made 

 actual counts of the various cells occurring in the pars glandu- 

 laris of patients afflicted with various chronic diseases. As a 

 result, it was concluded that no convincing change in the 

 morphology of the pars glandularis occurs as a result of essen- 

 tial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and Graves's disease. 

 Using less exact methods, Kraus (1935)'^ and Spark (1935) 

 came to a similar conclusion regarding hypertension and 

 eclampsia. Miiller (1936) stated that he discovered twelve 

 adenomata of the anterior pituitary (mostly reserve-cell 

 adenomata) in twenty cases of adiposity but only two in 

 twenty control cases (normal or of cachexia). Apparently the 

 excretion of gonadotropic hormone in the urine, revealed by 

 the production of ovulation in rabbits, may or may not be 

 associated with various neoplasms of the pars glandularis 

 (McCullagh and Cuyler, 1937). According to Susman (1935), 

 a diminution in the number of oxyphils is characteristic of the 

 pituitary of patients dying largely as a result of shock. Also 

 without making cell-counts, Meesen (1935) believed that 

 there is some correlation between basophilic invasion of the 



'7 AH twelve patients from whom Crooke's material was obtained had the follow- 

 ing symptoms: an adiposity of the face and trunk; a plethoric, florid, or dusky com- 

 plexion; a persistently high blood pressure; amenorrhea or impotence (if past pu- 

 berty). In nearly all there were cutaneous striae of the abdomen or thighs and gly- 

 cosuria or lowered sugar tolerance. In some there was a severe osteoporosis. 



'* Kraus suggested that an apparent increase in the proportion of basophils in 

 renal disease and other conditions, including advancing age, may be of some ill- 

 defined compensatory nature. 



[25] 



