THE SYMPATHETIC SYSTEM 17 



dysthyroidism. It is easy to see that the analysis of these 

 disturbances is useful, even necessary in thyroidien 

 organo therapy, efficacious in hypothyroidism, possibly 

 detrimental in hyperthyroidism, and in case of dysthy- 

 roidism some other therapeutic measure may be indicated. 

 However, it is wise to avoid too rigid a classification. As 

 the facts become better known, the notion of aberration 

 of function becomes more important than pure hypo or 

 hyperf unction. From a physiological point of view, Gley 

 has recently shown what facts we have to meet when we 

 speak of a simple functional insufficiency; for instance, 

 w r hen it is known how small a portion of thyroid or pan- 

 creas it is essential to leave to prevent the accidents re- 

 sulting from the total removal. Hypofunction has often 

 been implicated without any demonstrable reason, even 

 in cases where the alteration of the gland, the adrenal, 

 for instance, would seem to result in a secretory deficiency. 

 It has been demonstrated how small the quantity of 

 suprarenalin secreted was to keep up the muscular tone, 

 the researches of R. Porak, both clinical and experimental 

 are very suggestive from this point of view. The reality 

 of insufficiencies is, however, not in doubt, but they are 

 possibly associated with other functional disturbances 

 and other physiological modifications which seem to make 

 their results more pronounced. 



Hyperfunction, associated with an endocrine hyperse- 

 cretion, is more difficult to prove. Hyperfunction has 

 been admitted to exist, basing ourselves on clinical and 

 therapeutical facts, but has never been reproduced exper- 

 imentally. The repeated injections of pituitrin have 

 never caused the appearance of the symptoms of acro- 

 meglia; in the same way, a true increase in the secretion of 

 suprarenalin, in cases of arterial hypertension, has never 

 been proved, and physiologically it is hard to conceive of 



