INFANTILISM 465 



nuclei and of the epiphysial junctures occur distinctly only in most severe 

 cases. The intelligence develops normal, although these individuals show 

 the characteristic temperamental attitude. 



4. Again, disturbances in the development of the suprarenal cortices per- 

 haps also lead to definite vegetative disturbances; very little clearness as to 

 this point exists, however. 



5. Isolated disturbances in the development of the sexual glands leads to 

 eunuchoidism with characteristic distribution of fat, characteristic dimensions 

 of the skeletons, remaining open of the epiphysial junctures, especially those 

 that close latest under normal conditions, and a characteristic psychic 

 attitude with normal development of the intelligence. 



There remains now a group of vegetative disturbances that of late have 

 frequently been brought into association with the diseases of the ductless 

 glands. In some of these the relation to the ductless glandular system is not 

 yet sure, in others, the disturbances on the part of the ductless glands consti- 

 tute only one component of the clinical picture. Finally in others I would 

 deny the connection. In this great group of vegetative disturbances I would 

 include true infantilism, true dwarfism, chondrodystrophy, rachitic dwarfism, 

 and Mongolism. In the exposition of each disease, its relation to the 

 ductless glandular system will be especially considered. We shall not enter 

 further into the subject of dwarfism in microcephalus and porencephalus. 

 I have described dwarfism with hydrocephalus in the chapter on hypophysial 

 dystrophy. 



I. INFANTILISM 



Historical. The first cases of human beings who for their life time re- 

 mained in a childish stage of development [pathologically] were described 

 by Dancel and Baillarger. The case of Dancel was that of a woman twenty- 

 four years old who was 94 cm. tall and showed a mental and physical develop- 

 ment of a four- to five-year-old child. Lasegue coined the name infantilism 

 [-us]. He understood by it a condition of persistence in the adult of the psy- 

 chical and physical characteristics of a child. The first exact description was 

 made by Lorain. He describes a form of infantilism that he describes as 

 " Characterisee par la debilite, la gracilite et la petitesse du corps, par une 

 sorte d'arret de developpement, qui porterait plutot sur la masse de 1'individu 

 que sur un appareil speciale: en un mot des subjets atteint d'une juvenilite 

 persistente qui retarde indefiniment chez eux I'establissement integral de 

 la puberite." Lorain and his pupil Faneau de la Cour already stated that 

 the different harmful influences that may affect the juvenile organism 

 may lead to infantilism. 



The 'question has been especially discussed in the French and Italian 

 literature, ever since Brissaud set forth a form of infantilism that he referred 

 to as insufficiency of the thyroid gland in child life. Brissaud considers that 



3 



