216 ENDOCRINE GLANDS 



2. If the individual has been affected at puberty 

 or immediately afterwards, the clinical picture is that of 

 juvenilism. When he reaches the adult age, he keeps the 

 attributes of an adolescent. The penis and the testicle 

 keep the volume they had when the testicles became 

 affected. The secondary sexual characteristics have not 

 disappeared, but they have remained stationary. The 

 pubic hairs which had begun to grow, cease to do so; the 

 beard which was just beginning to grow never becomes 

 more than a fine fuzz. The skin only indicates the age 

 of the patient. 



3. When the individual has reached the adult age, 

 the syndrome is different. Gandy has described it under 

 the name of late or reversible infantilism. It is character- 

 ized by a regression of the genital organs accompanied by 

 impotence, disappearance of erections, ejaculations and 

 sexual desire. To these symptoms are added those of 

 feminine characteristics: rounded form, abnormal devel- 

 opment of the breast, widening of the pelvis. 4 



It seems to us logical to consider these three syndromes 

 as the same condition occurring at a different age. There 

 is still, however, much discussion on the limitations and 

 origins of infantilism. 



According to H. Meige, it is a syndrome characterized 

 by an arrest in the development of the organism as a 

 whole. That is by the persistence in an individual having 

 reached or passed puberty of the morphological character- 

 istics of childhood; small size, atrophy of the genital 

 organs and absence of secondary sexual characteristics. 



4 These types of feminism correspond probably to the hermaphrodites of ancient 

 statues. We must remember that true hermaphroidism is characterized by the co- 

 existence in the same individual of an ovary and a testicle and is very exceptional. In 

 order to determine this, careful histological examinations are necessary. The majority 

 of hermaphrodites are pseudo hermaphrodites with hypospadia. The male pseudo 

 hermaphrodites with feminism have a testicular insufficiency. 



