THE ADRENALS AND THE TUBERCULIN TEST. 635 



inference is obvious: This remarkable predilection of the new- 

 born exactly coincides with the moment at which the adrenals 

 assume their protective functions, which functions had been pre- 

 viously carried on by the mother's adrenals during the foetus's 

 uterine life. 



If we now consider the fact, emphasized by Arnaud, that 

 "suprarenal haemorrhages are far more common in childhood 

 than in adult or old age," we are led to another important 

 deduction: This predilection to suprarenal hemorrhage in chil- 

 dren coincides with that during which they show vulnerability to 

 specific infectious diseases: the so-called diseases of childhood 

 especially. 



Turning to the rarity of haemorrhage in adult and old age, 

 we are brought to realize that complete development of the 

 adrenals brings with it almost complete immunity to certain 

 toxins, especially those- generated in the course of certain dis- 

 eases of childhood. That this is true was demonstrated by a 

 personal analysis of 42 cases of fatal suprarenal haemorrhage 

 in adults and old age found in literature. Not one of these 

 could be traced to an infectious disease to which children are 

 particularly liable. Local or remote chronic processes, tuber- 

 culosis, cancer, Bright's disease, etc., or processes attended with 

 sudden and severe toxaemia, burns, traumatisms, uraemia, pneu- 

 monia, hepatic abscess, leg-ulcer, and cardiac affections were 

 the only disorders found. 



On the whole, the conclusions which seem to be warranted 

 in this connection are the following: 



1. Children are vulnerable to certain infectious diseases, be- 

 cause their adrenal system is insufficiently developed, and thus 

 fails to adequately stimulate the organs upon which the immuniz- 

 ing process depends when toxins penetrate the blood-stream. 



2. Normal adult and old subjects are not vulnerable to the 

 diseases of childhood, because their adrenals are developed suffi- 

 ciently to enable them to correspondingly stimulate the organs upon 

 which immunity to these diseases depends. 



THE ADRENAL SYSTEM AND THE TUBERCULIN TEST. 



Another question which the functional relationship be- 

 tween the adrenals and the physiological protective processes 



