THE PITUITARY BODY 



hydroxy butyric acid and was interpreted as indicating an 

 increase in the rate of the metaboHsm of fats. The observa- 

 tions of Burn and Ling as well as those of Anselmino and 

 Hoffmann have been confirmed not only in the rat, but also 

 in man, the rabbit, and the dog." However, the experimental 

 conditions under which the later experiments were performed 

 were sometimes different. Butts, Cutler, and Deuel ad- 

 ministered an alkaline extract of the anterior lobe of the ox 

 to rats also receiving diacetic acid; the extract caused a 

 marked increase in the excretion of acetone bodies in the 

 urine. Also, in fasting rats receiving a solution of sodium 

 chloride (lo per cent) the injection of the extract elevated the 

 excretion of acetone bodies from i mg. to 30-65 mg. These 

 effects were not related to sex (male, female, and gonadecto- 

 mized rats were used). Similar results were obtained in the 

 later experiments of Deuel. 



Hoffmann and Anselmino also found that the concentra- 

 tion of acetone bodies in the blood of the rat was increased 

 following the injection of serum from dogs to which fat had 

 been fed. This finding was interpreted as indicating that the 

 fat-metaboHsm hormone is secreted by the pituitary at an 

 increased rate in response to the body's need to metabolize 

 an increased amount of fat. This phenomenon was employed 

 by Goldzieher, Sherman, and Alperstein (1934) as a clinical 

 test to determine whether or not the secretion of the hormone 

 was normal. According to Funk (1933), extracts which cause 

 a marked increase in the rate of excretion of acetone bodies 

 in the urine of rats (about 2 hours after injection) can be 

 obtained from the urine of man or animals. 



^'Hoffmann and Anselmino (1931); Boenheim and Heimann (1932); Magistris 

 (1932-33); Butts, Cutler, and Deuel (1933); Anselmino and Hoffmann (1934); 

 Deuel (1934); Rietti (1934); Schultze (1934); and Steppuhn (1934). See also Leiner 

 (1934). 



Magistris called the fat-metabolism hormone "orophysin." He believed that 

 small amounts of the substance could be detected in the spleen, liver, cerebrospinal 

 fluid, etc. The fat-metabolism hormone of Raab ("lipoitrin") is said also to occur 

 in the pars neuralis and will be considered later. 



[296] 



