DUCTLESS GLANDS AND HEMATOPOIETIC APPARATUS 33 



we explain that existence of an acute Basedow's disease with the rapidly 

 developing thyroid swelling that comes over night? Newer investigations 

 of AsJier and Flack make it very probable that the nerves regulating the thy- 

 roid glandular activity run in the nervi recurrentes. These investigations 

 also make it seem possible that rapid variations in the function of the thyroid 

 gland are governed by nervous influence. 



Practically nothing as yet is known in this connection with respect to 

 other ductless glands. I must discuss a little more thoroughly only the 

 sexual glands. The sexual glands seem to assume an individual position 

 by virtue of their independence of the central nervous system. At least 

 the results of transplantation experiments up to the present would seem to 

 indicate this. With the thyroid gland only autotransplantation is success- 

 ful, that is, the transplantation of the thyroid gland to another place in 

 the same individual. Homiotransplantation (transplantation to another 

 individual of the same kind) fails. But up to the present it has not been 

 possible to maintain autotransplants capable of retaining their function, 

 even when their vessels are united directly with the vessels of the part by 

 means of suture. This shows, provided of course that the efforts of the 

 surgeons are not crowned with success at some time in the future, that the 

 function of the thyroid gland is not possible for a length of time without 

 connection with a central projection-field. It is different with the sexual 

 glands. Here in many cases not only autotransplantation but also homio- 

 transplantation succeeds. Indeed here even the results of heterotransplanta- 

 tion far surpass all that has been seen on the transplantation of the other 

 ductless glands. This separate position of the sexual glands was really to 

 have been expected. According to the noteworthy views of many authors 

 the generative glands originate from the primordial cells, which through 

 division of same kind of preceding cells, the ovum and the spermatozoon, 

 are organisms in themselves and lead an independent life. That the sexual 

 glands are also accessible to influences on the part of the central nervous 

 system and have central projection-fields in no way contradicts this idea. 

 According to Aschner such a projection-field lies in the subthalmic region. 

 On its long-continued excitation degeneration of the sexual glands occurs. 

 Indeed it may be supposed that the hypophysis furnishes trophic influences 

 to the sexual glands by way of the blood. 



If we summarize the little we know concerning this important subject 

 we find that the ductless glandular system shows a certain degree of autonomy 

 which, however, is developed in very different ways on the part of the individual 

 ductless glands. The sexual glands are provided with the greatest degree of 

 autonomy, the chromajfin tissue with the least. 



Influence of the Ductless Glands on the Hematopoietic Apparatus 



Before I speak of the significance of the influences just described on the 

 pathogenesis and etiology of the ductless glandular affections, I would like 



