IDEAS CONCERNING THE ENDOCRINES 265 



was derived ; and that it also aids the gland in becom- 

 ing reeducated and renewed if anatomicaly and phys- 

 iologically deficient." 



Hustings experiment is of much interest. He acti- 

 vated a pancreas in a paraffin bath, with secretin ; but 

 only in the presence of blood, indicating that the hor- 

 mones themselves are activated in some manner by 

 substances present in the plasma. 



The system exerts a selective and an appropriative 

 ability to deliver to its hormone producers the hor- 

 mones we give to activate and rejuvenate them. We 

 know that oxygen in the lungs enriches the blood ; and 

 yet we know that the blood stream is the depot of dis- 

 tribution and that respiration occurs in each cell as 

 it gives to and takes from the blood. As analogous to 

 this well-known physiological process, I firmly believe 

 that we can say that these hormones are vital and ele- 

 mentary; that they are necessary to life because they 

 sustain a balance to the various systems, viz., circula- 

 tory, muscular, nervous, digestive, mental and others 

 which are interdependent. 



Loeb and Rahtjen have ably demonstrated that in 

 dyshormonism and hypohormonism we find a syn- 

 drome of evidence of hypotension or hyposphyxia, mus- 

 cular and general systemic asthenia, hypodynamia, and 

 that the calcium ions are overbalanced by too many 

 natron ions, thus bringing about a train of nervous 

 symptoms, which may border on and actually develop 

 into insanity. In such cases there is a strong tendency 

 to mental disorders, especially to melancholia, and the 

 main infective cause with which we are so familiar, is 

 influenza. The case may be the average simple in- 

 fluenza, or that complicated asthenic group of symp- 

 toms consisting of what some one has termed "flu- 

 monia," with pharyngitis, neuritis, otitis, nephritis, 

 and, in fact, the disease is called by the French "La 



