28 GENERAL PART 



Finally, our investigations have shown that injection of adrenalin pro- 

 duces neutrophilic hyperleucocytosis and induces a disappearance of the 

 eosinophiles from the circulating blood. Whether this is due directly to 

 excitation of the sympathetic nerves or indirectly to alteration in the dis- 

 tribution of blood is hard to decide. I would only point out that the curves 

 of the white and red cells are not parallel throughout, and that we can show 

 that drugs such as pilocarpine and cholin lead always in the first stage of 

 their action to an appreciable relative and absolute increase of the mono- 

 nuclear cells, eventually, too, to a changed distribution of the neutrophilic 

 cells in the vascular tree. These accumulate in the organs less well in- 

 nervated by the sympathetic, such as the lungs and the liver, while there are 

 fewer of them in the vessels of the skin and muscles. Hence the chromafrin 

 tissue seems to exercise a regulatory influence on the activity of the blood- 

 forming apparatus, chiefly through excitation of the medullary system 

 [of the bones]. 



The actions of thyroidin on the nervous system are far more manifold 

 than those of adrenalin. We must, however, refer most of the various symp- 

 toms of hyperthyroidism to alterations of tonus in the organs supplied by the 

 vegetative nerves, for example, the tachycardia to excitations of the sympa- 

 thetic accelerator nerve, the marked fall in blood-pressure to diminution of 

 the vascular tonus in the muscles, skin, and intestinal vessels, the irregularity 

 of the breathing to a heightening of the vagal tonus, the sweats to an excita- 

 tion of the nerves of the sweat-glands, etc., etc. Probably the excitability 

 throughout the entire vegetative nervous system is increased, although an elec- 

 tive affinity for definite sympathetic or autonomous nerves is unmistakable. 

 The same holds true for extracts of the hypophysis. The pituitrinum 

 infundibulare, obtained from the posterior lobe, works as an increaser of blood 

 pressure and as a strong diuretic ; it also acts as a slower of the pulse through 

 excitation of the vagus, and as an increaser of excitability of the autonomous 

 nervus pelvicus, moreover as an increaser of the excitability of the uterus, 

 etc. ; here also there are elective affinities for certain vegetative organs sup- 

 plied by the sympathetic or autonomous nerves. 



Pituitrinum glandulare, according to our investigations, changes the dis- 

 tribution of the blood in the opposed sense. It reduces blood-pressure and 

 lessens the volume of the liver. 



Let us now consider the alterations of the excitability on the tonus of 

 the vegetative organs in the ductless glandular diseases. 



In Basedow's disease there is an abundance of symptoms that depend on 

 an increased tonus of both the autonomous and the sympathetic vegetative 

 organs, for example, the tachycardia, the eye symptoms, the sweats, the in- 

 creased falls of blood-pressure, etc., etc. As these symptoms are fSuhd In 

 more or less pronounced manner in artificial thyroidism, the conclusion is 

 justified that they are produced also in Basedow's disease by an increased 



