396 THE DISEASES OF THE SEXUAL GLANDS 



libido may be retained for a while. In rare cases (Mandl and Burger, Pfister) 

 the libido may be increased for a time after the castration. 



After the castration the skin becomes lighter on account of loss of pig- 

 ment (Pfister) . The hair of the head becomes luxuriant. There is no distinct 

 influence on the shape of the breasts; but the nipples show a slight grade 

 of atrophy, and the areolae become light-rose in color through partial loss 

 of pigment. 



As in man, there is in woman after castration a tendency to corpulency. 

 Considerable increase in weight was found by Alterthum in 29.5 per cent., 

 by Glaevecke in 57.5 per cent. 



The behavior of the respiratory metabolism after castration has become 

 a subject of lively discussion. Lo'wy and Richter found in female castrated 

 animals the fundamental exchange lowered about 20 per cent., in the males 

 about 14 per cent. On administration of ovarian substances it again rose 

 to normal. Again, Luthje has pointed out that the slight reduction of the 

 fundamental exchange was to be referred to the greater phlegma of the 

 animal, v. Noorden has subjected the experiments that exist in the literature 

 to a thorough criticism, and comes to the conclusion that a reduction of the 

 fundamental exchange has not as yet been strictly demonstrated. The 

 clinical observation of an increased deposit of fat after castration is ever 

 known "on account of the broad basis on which it rests, unquestionable." 

 Recently, further investigations by L. Zuntz have been made on three w r omen 

 who were castrated on account of gynecological complaints. During the 

 first week Zuntz found no distinct reduction of the fundamental exchange. 

 In all cases there was found, after a long time, a slight fall of the oxygen con- 

 sumption, as much as 20 per cent. The administration of oophorin was not 

 able to produce a distinct addition to the oxygen consumption. We shall 

 see later that also in eunuchoidism, in the few investigations that have been 

 made up to the present, the respiratory metabolism was found to be rather 

 normal. There is no ground, however, for the fact that the corpulency that 

 develops after castration in a great majority of cases does not depend directly 

 on the loss of the sexual gland, as small turnings of the scale not demonstrable 

 by our present methods may amount to something in the course of years; and 

 as the disturbance in the regulation of the fat metabolism does not depend 

 exclusively on the fundamental exchange (see Chapter XIV). 



Very little is known as to the other alterations of the metabolism that 

 occur after castration. Also the action of the sexual glandular substances 

 introduced in the organism has not been sufficiently studied up to the present. 

 As we have seen before, its influence on the respiratory metabolism is still 

 subject* to controversy. Many authors (Matthis, Neumann and Vas, and 

 others) found under the influence of oophorin a slight increase in the elimina- 

 tion of nitrogen, and an increase of the elimination of salts, especially of 

 the elimination of phosphorus through the intestine. 



