378 THE DISEASES OF THE SEXUAL GLANDS 



tion of oxyproteinic acid. The tendency of pregnant women to alimentary 

 glycosuria and alimentary levulosuria is well known. Lately Xovak and 

 Forges have discovered a tendency toward ketonuria. The cause of these 

 metabolic alterations is seen by most of the authors cited in a disturbance of 

 the function of the liver, from which they have inferred degenerative proc- 

 esses in that organ. It would, however, be remarkable if a physiological 

 process such as pregnancy should regularly lead to such severe disturbances; 

 I would regard as the cause of these metabolic disturbances only an in- 

 crease in the irritability of the liver, which is a partial phenomena of the 

 increased vitality of the whole organism. 



It is very noteworthy that numerous symptoms point to an increased 

 function of almost the whole ductless glandular system. Certain of the 

 previously mentioned symptoms may be referred with some probability 

 to an energetic activity of the chromaffin tissue; the regular occurrence of 

 iron-free pigment perhaps points also to an increased adrenalin consump- 

 tion. 1 As is known such pigmentations develop along the linea alba, at the 

 navel, on the perineum, on the labia majora, on the areolae of the nipples, 

 and on the face (chloasma uterinum). Very noteworthy is the occurrence 

 of abnormal hairiness, as Halban first pointed out. Especially distinct is 

 the increased growth of a previously existing rudiment of the beard. Halban 

 cites a very interesting case of Slocum's. A woman carried three children 

 normally and also had an abortion at the sixth or eighth week. In each 

 pregnancy the beard grew on the cheeks and chin. But also the downy 

 hair on the entire body, especially on the abdomen and on the linea alba, 

 grew stronger during pregnancy. These hairs fell out again after the labor. 

 Halban could even demonstrate the increased growth tendencies of the hair 

 in animal experiment. After shaving of the abdomina of pregnant animals 

 the hair grows faster there than on the abdomina of nonpregnant animals 

 similarly treated. He refers these anomalies in the hairiness to the internal 

 secretory activity of the chorionic epithelium; it would also be likely, how- 

 ever, that this comes into relationship with the hyperplasia of the suprarenal 

 cortex that occurs in pregnancy, as is pointed out by Glynn. This hyper- 

 plasia of the suprarenal glands has been demonstrated by v. Haberer and 

 Stoerck. 



I would attribute especial value to the fact that during pregnancy the 

 interstitial glands develop enormously. This fact shows that also in the 

 sexual glands of the female there is a certain independence of the function 

 of the interstitial glands from that of the generative glands. While the 

 activity of the follicular apparatus becomes inhibited, the interstitial glands 

 show histological signs of an increased activity. According to my view the 

 clinical symptoms correspond to those of the histological finding. As I 



1 See the hypothesis as to the genesis of the pigmentation in the chapter on the suprarenal 

 apparatus. 



