IV 



ENDOCRINOLOGY IN EVERY-DAY MEDICINE 

 By G. GINSBURG, M.D., Philadelphia, Pa. 



Internal secretions are chemical substances or- 

 ganic in nature, elaborated from the food we partake 

 of by certain structures within our bodies, called the 

 ductless glands. These secretions enter the blood 

 stream, and each exerts a certain definite, constant in- 

 fluence upon the general economy and well-being of the 

 organism. 



We very often wonder why individuals living ap- 

 parently under the same surroundings, and partaking 

 of the same kinds of food in the same quantities, still 

 differ widely in their external and internal make-up, 

 i. e., in their external appearance as well as in their 

 disposition, temperament, general strength, etc. Some 

 individuals are always very thin, no matter how much 

 and of whatever rich food they eat; others enjoy pretty 

 fair development of body tissues ; and still others suffer 

 from an excessive deposit of adipose tissue in their 

 bodies. Some people are undersized; others are of a 

 height proportional to their weight and thickness ; and 

 still others are very tall, altogether out of proportion 

 to the other measurements of their bodies. Some indi- 

 viduals are exceptionally cool-minded, and compara- 

 tively passive to external impressions and to changes in 

 their life ; others are fairly well-balanced in their emo- 

 tional feelings; while still others are of an extremely 

 nervous temperament, and respond to similar impres- 

 sions in an unusual, excessive and, therefore, abnormal 



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