THE PITUITARY BODY 



the pars glandularis. Baudler (1935-36) in recent reports as- 

 sociates such findings with destructive malignant tumors 

 such as carcinoma of the cervix, vulva, or ovary. Sometimes 

 the same is true of extragenital malignant tumors of men or 

 women. It must be remembered that the tumor itself or 

 radiation therapy of such tumors might interfere with the 

 secretion of male or female hormone by the gonads, so that 

 the increased excretion of gonadotropic hormone could re- 

 semble that following gonadectomy. 



Lewis and Geschickter (1936) investigated the concentra- 

 tion of gonadotropic hormone in various tumors. Some of the 

 results, expressed as rat-units per kilogram tumor, were as 

 follows: breast tumors — carcinoma (5 negative), 6,000- 

 7,000 rat-units, fibromyxoma, 60,000 rat-units, fibroadenoma, 

 2,500 rat-units; uterine myomata (2 negative), 4,500-11,000 

 rat-units; irradiated sclerosing osteogenic sarcoma, 4,500 rat- 

 units. 



THE GONADOTROPIC HORMONE OF PREGNANT-MARE SERUM^^ 



In several respects, the gonadotropic hormone of the serum 

 of the pregnant mare is strikingly different from prolan. 

 Considerable quantities are present in the serum only during 

 a limited part of the gestation period. It is not excreted in 

 significant amounts in the urine even at times when its con- 

 centration is highest in the serum. It can produce marked 

 stimulation of the gonads of birds, whereas prolan is without 

 action in this class of animals. As might be inferred from its 

 failure to appear in the urine, it is slowly metabolized, so 

 that the administration of a single dose, during a period of 

 several days, may be as effective as repeated doses. It ap- 

 parently can replace the gonadotropic hormones no longer 

 secreted because of hypophysectomy, at times when prolan 

 is patently inadequate. It produces unquestionable follicle- 

 stimulating effects, whereas prolan does not. 



^^ See the Index for references to other reports. 



[ 144] 



