436 INTERNAL SECRETIONS 



observed, whereas menstruation and precocious development 

 of the uterus is only extremely rare, having been recorded 

 only once in the data collected by Krabbe. According to 

 Krabbe all these symptoms can be taken as evidence not of 

 sexual precocity, but of virility or hermaphroditism in female 

 individuals with adrenal hyperplasia. A similar view is held 

 by Bell. Krabbe has elaborated the hypothesis that the cells 

 of the adrenal tumour originate from "foetal testicular cells 

 which have been absorbed by the adrenal cortex." This 

 assumption is very suggestive, especially if we take into 

 consideration that in the majority of the cases of sexual 

 precocity in women where an adrenal tumour was not men- 

 tioned, there was a precocious development of the mammae 

 and of the uterus with the occurrence of menstruation. A 

 recent observation of Pezard (1922) is in favour of Krabbe's 

 suggestion. Pezard recorded in three incompletely castrated 

 cocks an interpenetration between the testicular fragment 

 and the adrenal on which the small fragment was located. 

 Medullary cells in full activity were found surrounding or even 

 entering into underdeveloped seminal tubules ; seminal tubules 

 were found incorporated in the middle of the adrenal. 

 Pezard concludes that the embryological relationship between 

 seminal and cortical tissue is thus corroborated physiologically, 

 both tissues supplying the conditions necessary for the secretory 

 activity of medullary cells. But on the other hand the state- 

 ment of Matthias (1922) that the adrenal tumour may be 

 connected with feminization of the male individual is opposed 

 to Krabbe's assumption. The observation of Matthias is, 

 indeed, quite unique. 



It is well known that sexual precocity is sometimes connected 

 with tumours of the pineal gland. Such tumours have been 

 described in boys and girls, the tumour in general being a tera- 

 toma, though other forms of tumours also have been observed. 

 Sexual precocity connected with pineal tumours has been 

 recorded only for boys. This latter fact is of great interest 

 in relation to the question of the connection between the 

 pineal tumour and sexual precocity. Marburg (1920) suggested 

 that sexual precocity is caused by precocious destruction of the 

 pineal by the tumour, there being a precocious involution of 

 the pineal, which normally undergoes decrease during develop- 

 ment. On the contrary, Askanazy (1921) holds the opinion 



