THE SYMPATHETIC SYSTEM 19 



function and aberration of function. Therapy brings 

 other arguments in favor of this classification and it is 

 quite certain that orgaiio therapy by modifying certain 

 disturbances, in leaving alone or exaggerating others, 

 can bring out a glandular insufficiency or inversely, a 

 normal or exaggerated function. While still keeping in 

 mind the importance of functional deviation it is always 

 essential to determine if the symptoms observed iri a 

 patient are due to an insufficiency or are secondary to an 

 excessive function. The classification followed by Dr. 

 Harvier in the following chapters is a necessity, but it is 

 well to understand that it is not absolute. 



***** 



Endocrine pathology appeared at first to be very simple; 

 a certain gland seemed to be responsible for certain symp- 

 toms: myxedema was a manifestation of the alteration of 

 one gland only, the thyroid, Addison's disease was due to 

 changes in the adrenals and it was not necessary to invoke 

 other endocrine lesions, acromegalia was due to a lesion of 

 the pituitary. If this had been so in every case, the analy- 

 sis of functional endocrine disturbances would have been 

 easy. The notion of functional glandular correlation, 

 however, carried out through the blood stream or through 

 the nervous system has complicated matters. The study 

 of infantilism allows us to understand the consequences of 

 this fact. I have previously referred among the endocrine 

 secretions, to the presence of harmozones or morpho- 

 genetic substances regulating growth. After the first 

 investigations on hypothyroidism and the observations of 

 Brissaud and Hertoghe, it seemed as if these substances 

 came directly or indirectly from the thyroid and that 

 modifications of these substances were the cause of most 

 cases of lack of growth. Infantilism seemed to be due to 

 hypothyroidism. 



