THE ADRENALS 39 



a smiling capable normality. Beyond the years 

 of childhood criminality can almost always be 

 traced to hereditary endocrine deficiency. On 

 the physical side adrenal competency in childhood 

 is one of our greatest protections against tuber- 

 culosis. In chronic tubercular disease hypo- 

 adrenia is nearly always present, and we rather 

 neglect it. In chronic phthisis the blood-pressure 

 is generally very low, and adrenal extract should 

 form the basis of all treatment. It is the best 

 of all tonics, and increases their powers of resist- 

 ance to all microbic attacks. As the pressure 

 rises the fever falls. 



Daily observation will show the intelligent 

 physician the importance of this secretion in all 

 concerns of life. 



Hyperadrenia in childhood is so much a fault 

 on the right side that we are tempted to ignore 

 it, and to say, perhaps rather carelessly, that 

 it will settle down by itself, but these mercurial 

 children, bright and precocious, often want 

 watching ; their balance is not good, and they 

 can overstep the mark of safety ; mentally they 

 need much judgment and care, while the unwise 

 teachers often press their brains in order to 

 exhibit them as prodigies. In fact, they run them 

 for long-distance races as two-year-olds, with the 



