THE PITUITARY BODY 



body-temperature (o?7-o?8 C.) and arise in the concentra- 

 tion of sugar in the blood. Atropinization or treatment by 

 "Somnifen" lessened or abolished the apparent depressing 

 effect on temperature. Both Jores (1936) and Parhon and 

 Cahane (1936) reported that the repeated administration of 

 epinephrine to rats is followed by an increase in the amount 

 of melanosome-dispersing hormone in the pituitary body." 

 Jores attributed this change to a corresponding hypertrophy 

 of the pars intermedia. In the mouse, on the other hand, a 

 single large dose either of epinephrine or of "Cortidyn" (an 

 extract of the adrenal cortex) caused an immediate reduc- 

 tion of the amount of melanosome-dispersing hormone in the 

 pituitary. Jores also found that similar treatment of the 

 rabbit or of man brought about an acute fall in the concen- 

 tration of melanophore hormone in the blood. ("Cortidyn" 

 alone or in combination with epinephrine had the same action 

 in rats as epinephrine.) 



Melanosome-dispersing hormone in relation to the metabolis?n 

 of water. — The belief of some observers, such as Sulzberger, 

 that the chromatosome-dispersing hormone (or some other 

 new principle) of the pars intermedia is an agent capable of 

 inhibiting diuresis cannot be accepted. Bottger (1936) even 

 called this substance "adiuretin," but his evidence that it 

 differed from the vasopressor principle of the pars neuralis 

 consisted of comparisons of vasopressor and antidiuretic ef- 

 fects of extracts. Later (1937), he agreed that chromatosome- 

 dispersing hormone is diuresis-inhibiting in proportion to its 

 contamination by the vasopressor principle. Dischreit (1935) 

 was unable to produce diuresis inhibition by "Intermedin" 

 free from vasopressor hormone, although he used much 

 larger doses, in terms of melanosome-dispersing hormone, 

 than did Sulzberger. Eraser (1937) also was convinced that 



" Parhon and Cahane believed that testicular or corpus luteum hormone po- 

 tentiates the action of melanosome-dispersing hormone, whereas thyroid hormone 

 or oestrin is without such action. 



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