THE PITUITARY BODY 



animal. No noteworthy effect on the thyroid or adrenals 

 (epinephrine-liberation) could be detected. 



Anselmino and Hoffmann (1936) injected pancreatropic ex- 

 tract into anesthetized dogs and concluded that the drop in 

 blood sugar produced was increased if the adrenals were re- 

 moved. These authors also detected the principle in serum 

 and in urine of normal and diabetic individuals and of preg- 

 nant women (see also Picinelli, 1936). 



The effects of hypophysectomy and of the injection of 

 alkaline anterior pituitary extract (ox) were investigated in 

 adult male newts {Triturus viridescens) by Adams and Ward 

 (1936) and appear to be different from those in mammals. 

 For example, the liver was found to weigh more in hy- 

 pophysectomized newts than in normal animals. xAfter hy- 

 pophysectomy the liver by histological examination appeared 

 to contain more fat. The authors also investigated the 

 weight, number of islets, and cytology of the islets of the 

 pancreas as well as the concentration of glycogen in the liver 

 by a method of doubtful quantitative value. Although the 

 pancreas was smaller after hypophysectomy, yet it was found 

 to contain an increased number of islets. The reader is re- 

 ferred to their report for a detailed description of their re- 

 sults. 



Observations on the effects of serum ^ cerebrospinal fluids or 

 urine on the metabolism of carbohydrates. — The observations 

 to which reference is made in the heading of this paragraph 

 are commonly interpreted by the authors as evidence that 

 anterior pituitary hormones affecting carbohydrate metabo- 

 lism have been identified. This view, of course, may be en- 

 tirely incorrect. Harrow and others (1936) extracted from 

 the urine of normal young men a substance which causes a 

 marked hyperglycemia in rabbits. Elmer, Giedosz, and 

 Scheps (1937) reported that the serum of a patient with 

 acromegaly produced a similar effect after injection into 

 the rabbit. ^According to De Wesselow and Griffiths (1936), 

 if the serum of aged individuals with glycosuria be injected 



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