CHAPTER IX. 

 PATHOLOGY OF THE PINEAL GLAND. 



Up to the last few years the pineal gland was considered 

 by anatomists to be "a degenerated gland with only rudi- 

 mentary functions or none at all" (Testut), representing, 

 from a morphological point of view, the pineal eye of lower 

 animals. He mentioned out of curiosity that Descarte 

 considered this gland to be the centre of the soul and 

 Magendie believed that it regulated the circulation of 

 cerebro spinal fluid. 



This conception has been modified by the anatomical 

 and clinical study of tumors of the pineal. A certain 

 number of observations have established the fact that 

 these tumors cause not only symptoms of nerve com- 

 pression and cranial hypertension, but they also give rise 

 to a syndrome which is characteristic, and which con- 

 sists in an exaggeration of growth, sexual precocity and 

 sometimes abnormal psychosis. 



It seems, therefore, to be well established that the pineal 

 plays a part in the physical and sexual development, and 

 from this point of view can be considered as a gland of 

 internal secretion. 



PINEAL SYNDROME. 



It was first studied in 1908 in the investigations of 

 tumors of the pineal gland by Marburg and by Frankl- 

 Hochwart. Observations by French writers are still more 

 numerous: those of Raymond and Claude, Apert and 

 Porak being the most important. 



Pineal tumors are usually met with in male children, at 



least 12 years of age. 



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