196 CORTEX 



sufficiency. Salt therapy in the experiments just cited pre- 

 vents the impoverishment of the body of its vitally important 

 electrolyte, and aids in overcoming adrenal insufficiency, but 

 the salt does not replace the cortical hormone nor does it 

 prevent the fatal outcome of the adrenalectomy unless suffi- 

 cient cortical tissue remains to furnish, after its hypertrophy, 

 an adequate supply of the vital hormone. 



Results, similar to those described in the preceding para- 

 graph are obtained in experiments on adult dogs or other 

 experimental animals. Failure to appreciate the effects of 

 administering large amounts of salt on the survival of adrenal- 

 ectomized animals, has undoubtedly led to many of the falla- 

 cious conclusions regarding the alleged potency of various 

 cortical extracts reported by earlier workers. On the other 

 hand, failure to appreciate the effect of the presence of micro- 

 scopic nests of cortical tissue on the survival of adrenalec- 

 tomized animals has led to the false conclusion that salt 

 is able to serve as a complete replacement therapy for the 

 cortical hormone. 



