34 ENDOCRINE GLANDS 



be very careful in their interpretation, but it is certain 

 that the investigation of the causes of disturbances in 

 arterial pressure may be of value in endocrinology. 



It is not my intention to describe in this introduction 

 all the symptoms and syndromes related to the pathology 

 of the endocrines. Each day the list grows longer. Each 

 organ of the body can furnish an example of it. Above 

 everything else it is the disturbances affecting the mor- 

 phology of the individual, by altering his nutritive leta- 

 bolism, which have a diagnostic value, and it is, therefore, 

 on these that we must insist. It goes without saying that 

 a complete examination may reveal may others. Such an 

 examination will bring out the whole syndrome of thy- 

 roid insufficiency or hyperf unction. It will make the 

 diagnosis of pituitary or adrenal lesions. Each gland 

 has its own symptomatology and Dr. Harvier has very 

 correctly insisted on these various suggestive syndromes. 

 All do not have the same accuracy. For instance, the 

 symptomatology of the thyroid is now very definite, 

 thanks to the publications of Leopold-Levi and Rothchild, 

 and is particularly easy to understand, due to the results 

 of thyroid organo therapy. Pituitary symptomatology is 

 beginning to be better known, but adrenal symptomatol- 

 ogy has not yet been definitely defined. The respective 

 parts played by the glandular and by the sympathetic 

 nervous system disturbances are hard to judge even in 

 cases of Addison's disease. Arterial hypotension which 

 invariably results in adrenal insufficiency can be due to 

 so many different causes that alone it cannot be consid- 

 ered as indicative of adrenal insufficiency. 



For this reason, it would be very important during acute 

 or chronic diseases to have definite signs of the functional 

 capacity of the various endocrine glands, to be able to have 

 endocrine tests similar to those performed in pathological 



