DERANGEMENTS OF THE FULLY-ESTABLISHED 

 FEMALE CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS 



DERANGEMENTS OF THE SEX-CHARACTERISTICS 



The secretions of the hormonopoietic organs, which Causes in 

 have produced the normal adult female, continue sub- secretary 

 sequently to act in the same way passively, no doubt system of 



j . . J J derange- 



and it is only some extensive alteration in the structure ments of sex- 

 of certain units of the internal secretory system which 



can bring about an alteration in the female sex-character- 

 istics, once they have been determined and developed 

 to maturity. So far as we know, the withdrawal of 

 any one secretion such as the ovarian will not produce 

 any definite change. There must be some gross change 

 in those parts of the internal secretory system, especially 

 apart from the genital glands, which normally produce 

 masculinity a potentiality that appears to be con- 

 centrated in the suprarenals, the pituitary, and probably 

 in the pineal. 



The term * inversion ' is usually applied to the inversion. 

 derangements of the normal secondary characteristics 

 to be described here. 



Apert 1 has asserted that masculine characteristics 

 may be produced in women by simple ovarian tumours. 

 I do not believe that this is so. As we have already seen 

 (p. 154) such tumours may produce feminine precocity, 

 but they never produce masculinity. It is possible that 

 Apert overlooked an ovitestis and considered it a new 

 growth, as was done by an expert pathologist in the 

 case already recorded (p. 141). With an ovitestis, 

 such as that described, masculinity may be indicated 

 by the testicular elements in the gonad in part, but it is 

 probable that in these circumstances other organs, such 

 1 Apert, M. E., Bull. Med., Paris, 1910, vol. xxiv, p. 1161. 



