288 PHARMACEUTICAL BACTERIOLOGY 



digestive tract. Another is that they retard the sex development of the 

 child, for which assumption there appears to be some justification in the 

 fact that sexually precocious children frequently have small or rudimentary 

 tonsils. This suggestion appears to be negatived by the fact that the 

 removal of the tonsils in young children does not hasten or increase the 

 sex development or give rise to any signs of sexual precocity. 



2. The Pineal Gland. Also known as pineal body and epiphysis cere- 

 bri, was supposed to be the vestigial remnant of the Cyclopean eye. 

 This is a very small pine cone like body projecting from the third ventricle. 

 In early life it has a glandular structure and reaches its greatest develop- 

 ment at about the seventh year. After this period and more especially 

 after puberty it loses its glandular appearance and gradually dwindles, 

 degenerating into a fibrous tissue. In hypo-function of this gland and also 

 in dysfunction, in children, there is accelerated development of the repro- 

 ductive organs with attendant mental precocity. The inference is there- 

 fore, that the gland secretes a substance (a chalone) which inhibits growth 

 and more especially restrains the development of the reproductive glands. 

 Total extirpation of the gland is not fatal. 



3. The Pituitary Body or Gland. Lies in the sella turcica of the sphenoid 

 bone and is usually described as consisting of two parts, the larger anterior 

 lobe of distinctly glandular structure, and a much smaller posterior lobe 

 of nervous origin and composed of neuroglia cells and fibers. Total 

 extirpation of this gland, or of its anterior lobe alone, results in death, 

 preceded by lowering of blood pressure, of temperature, feeble and slow 

 respiration, unsteadiness of movement, muscular twitching, lethargy and 

 coma. Occasionally there is also glycosuria. Removal of the posterior 

 lobe alone was without marked effects. The secretions of the anterior 

 lobe stimulate the growth of the skeleton and associated tissues. Hyper- 

 function (hyperpituitarism) in children gives rise to giantism, and in 

 adult life to that special growth of long bones designated by acromegaly. 

 A deficiency of secretion gives rise to infantilism, to excessive fatty tissue 

 formation (adiposis dolor osa], sexual inactivity with actual atrophy of 

 the sex organs, loss of hair, disturbances of nutrition, reduced mental 

 activity, etc. The hyper-pituitarism of adults manifests itself by the 

 elongation of the long bones of the extremities, the hands and feet, in- 

 creased angularity of the skeletal structure, the tongue is thickened causing 

 a thick speech, mentality is lessened; with a characteristic curvature of 

 the spinal column (cervico-dorsal kyphosis with a compensatory lumbar 

 lordosis), there is thickening of the skin, the chin projects and the lower 

 teeth generally project beyond the plane of the upper teeth; there is 

 increased thirst and occasionally glycosuria. 



4. The Thymus Gland. This gland is largest during embryonal 



