CHROMATOSOME-DISPERSING HORMONE 



media. Cultures of the pars glandularis contained neither 

 chromatosome-dispersing hormone nor vasopressor hormone. 



Jores (1935) was convinced that melanophore hormone ac- 

 cumulates in the pituitary of mice kept in darkness (1.45 

 units), whereas the amount falls rapidly when animals are 

 exposed to light (0.27 unit). Responsibility for this change 

 appeared to rest chiefly with light of shorter wave-lengths 

 (blue), although exposure of mice to yellow and red light was 

 followed by a slower and less pronounced reduction. 



According to Rodewald (1935), if frogs are kept in dark- 

 ness, their blood contains a substance "binding" chromato- 

 some-dispersing hormone. The author believed that this sub- 

 stance is closely associated with the erythrocytes. It was 

 not found in the blood of light or dark frogs exposed to light. 

 Rodewald believed that two mechanisms operate to prevent 

 any action of chromatosome-dispersing hormone in frogs 

 kept in darkness: (i) no hormone is formed by the pituitary 

 body,'-* and (2) a substance inactivating the hormone is lib- 

 erated into the blood. Jores and Hoeltje (1936) believed that 

 they confirmed the observation of Rodewald. Their results 

 varied greatly and the differences found appear to be small. 

 However, the authors reported that the blood of mammals 

 (the rabbit and man) kept in darkness does not contain the 

 inactivating substance but, on the other hand, seems to con- 

 tain a higher concentration of the hormone itself. Later, 

 Rodewald (1936) reported that the serum of patients with 

 cancer contains a substance binding (or inactivating) melano- 

 phore hormone. Such a result was obtained by the use of the 

 serum of 105 of 109 patients investigated (96 per cent). The 

 reaction of the serum was positive in 2 of 50 pregnant women 

 (4 per cent) but was negative in patients with carcinoma of 

 the skin. 



New observations on the chemistry of the chromatosome-dispers- 

 ing hormone. — ^Among principles which can be extracted from 



'•• A change in the opposite direction was recorded by Jores, who used mice. 



[ 255 ] 



