THE PITUITARY BODY 223 



The blood of the splenic vein is found to contain pro- 

 portionally fewer red corpuscles, but more c(Jourles3 

 corpuscles, than in the splenic artery ; and it has been 

 supposed that the spleen is one of those parts of the 

 economy in which, on the one hand, colourless corpuscles 

 of the blood are produced, and, on the other, red 

 corpuscles die and are broken up. 



21. The Pituitary Body is a small structure under- 

 neath the brain from which its posterior lobe is 

 developed ; the anterior lobe and a portion joining the 

 two lobes together is developed from the epithelium of 

 the mouth. 



The functions of the pituitary body are obscure, but 

 so far as they are known they are striking enough. 

 Enlargement of the anterior portion is associated with a 

 diseased condition in which many of the bones grow to an 

 abnormal size. Injection of extracts of the posterior 

 part, on the other hand, produces results somewhat 

 similar to, but not quite the same as, injection of adrenalin. 



