THE SYMPATHETIC SYSTEM 217 



Souques considers that atrophy of the genital organs 

 and the more or less complete absence of the secondary 

 sexual characteristics are sufficient to define infantilism. 

 Puberty separates man from the child and the other 

 symptoms, the morphology of the body and the height 

 are secondary and accessory. According to Souques the 

 height is not controlled by the testicle, but by the pitu- 

 itary. The experiments of Fichera have shown that 

 after castration, there was a proliferation of the 

 anterior lobe of the pituitary and that the skeleton grows 

 in proportion. 



This explains why certain writers, such as, H. Claude 

 have refused to add the term infantilism to the syndrome 

 of testicular insufficiency occurring in the adult and de- 

 scribed by Gandy under the name of reversible infantilism, 

 since these individuals have not the morphological char- 

 acteristics of childhood. The dystrophy has not changed 

 the morphology of the subject, having occurred after 

 puberty, after the morphology had already completely 

 changed. It has simply caused a regression of the genital 

 apparatus and its adnexia, as well as its secondary 

 sexual characteristics. 



The origin of infantilism is also disputed. 



Some, following Apert, consider it of thyroid origin. 

 The testicle and the thyroid have a synergistic action. 

 The thyroid atrophies in castrated young animals. The 

 thyroid secretions enter in the development of the genitals, 

 for in myxedematous subjects, the height does not change 

 and the genital glands stay infantile. The thyroid has an 

 opposite action on the skeleton to that of the testicle; in 

 thyroid insufficiency, growth is arrested; in testicular 

 insufficiency, it is exaggerated. 



