50 GENERAL PART 



the formation of ferments chemical substances for the splitting up of 

 alien or other proteids, as a matter of "Abwehr," defense, is a biological 

 phenomenon at the basis of life itself, and it will be indeed strange if this 

 principle, capable as it is of exact chemical demonstration, does not yield 

 practical results far in advance of present indications. 



The matter of "Abwehr" leads us to two other so-called discoveries of 

 recent years the Freudian theory of the genesis and treatment of hysteria 

 and allied neuroses and the so-called "kinetic theory" of Crile. Of these 

 the latter merits discussion here because of its direct relation with the duct- 

 less glandular diseases, and the former because of the relation of the various 

 neuroses (and even psychoses) to the ductless glandular system. It is a 

 pity that Crile has not as yet (September, 1914) published the results of 

 his experiments in toto and in detail, as much of what he claims for his theory 

 (based as it is on painstaking examination of, among other objects, 40,000 

 nerve cells) seems to be substantiated by older and more recent theories of 

 the central nervous origin of such ductless glandular conditions as Basedow's 

 disease and diabetes mellitus. (Crile will be mentioned again in the ad- 

 dendum to the chapter on Basedow's disease.) 



With regard to Freud, I have been anticipated in what I wished to say 

 by Cushing; as I consider the matter very well expressed by that author, 

 I shall quote in extenso passages from one of his works : 



"The pituitary body and the germinal glands appear to be protagonists. 

 Hypophysial insufficiency and a lowering of the activity of the reproductive 

 functions go hand in hand, and in some of our examples of hypoplasia, 

 glandular feeding has unquestionably led to a restoration of potentia. The 

 reverse is probably also true, for, as stated, a libidinous tendency often ac- 

 companies states of secretory hyperplasia, and certain experiments under- 

 taken with Dr. Emil Goetsch have indicated that feeding pituitary extracts 

 to preadolescent animals leads to a precocious ovulation and spermato- 

 genesis. These observations, coupled with the knowledge that secretory 

 discharges from the hypophysis may be elicited through the sympathetic 

 nervous system, suggest that the liberation of a chemical messenger may 

 account for the recognized effect of the emotions upon the sexual sphere." 



***********#**********#*** 



"It is plain that the two intracranial glands, hypophysis and epiphysis, 

 normally exercise a remarkable influence not only upon the nutrition and 

 skeletal growth, but also upon the sexual sphere, and it is not a matter for 

 surprise that in the presence of a definite pathological derangement of either 

 of these structures which dates from childhood, mentality should be so modi- 



here but refer the reader to the bibliography appended to Abderhalden 's Abwehrfermente des 

 tieris chen Organismus, etc., or to that at the end of Ortows article (Am. J. Insanity, vol. 71, 

 I 9 I S P- 573)- Allusions to the Abderhalden reaction will be found in certain of the addenda 

 to the chapters of the present work. Editor. 



