118 JOHN T. HALSEY 



reports that Khe insertion into the nares of pledgets soaked with equal parts 

 of hypophysin (a posterior pituitary extract) and 10 per cent novocain 

 gives marked relief with no untoward effects. In a rather limited per- 

 sonal experience with this combination (of epinephrin and pituitrin), I 

 have seen no better results from it than were obtained in the same cases by 

 epinephrin alone. The remedy is used hypodermically, and the dose 

 recommended by Weiss is 0.8 mg. of suprarenal extract with 0.04 gm. of 

 posterior pituitary extract. 



Spleen. Blair Bell (c) (1919) states that his colleague, R. J. M. Bu- 

 chanan a has treated successfully a serious case of splenomegaly by the oral 

 administration of an extract of the whole gland." 



Obstetrics and Gynecology. The obstetrical and gynecological uses 

 of posterior pituitary extract will be discussed in another section. 



Anterior Portion of the Pituitary Gland 



In contrast to our extensive knowledge of the pharmacology of the 

 posterior portion of the pituitary, is our extremely meager knowledge of 

 that of the anterior portion. 



Chemistry. According to Robertson (a) (1916), one 34 at least of the 

 active principles (the growth-controlling one) is a lipoid fairly soluble in 

 water, and in certain mixtures of alcohol and ether, which contains 

 nitrogen and phosphorus in the ratio of 4:1, and yields inosite on 

 hydrolysis. This substance (or mixture of substances), to which he has 

 given the name tetlielin, is not affected by trypsin nor lipase (Schmidt and 

 iMay). It is rapidly decomposed under the influence of heat and moisture, 

 and when treated with barium hydroxid yields a substance exerting on 

 the uterus and the blood-pressure an action similar to that of posterior 

 pituitary extracts. Robertson believes that tethelin rapidly undergoes 

 decomposition in the alimentary tract and in this liability to destructive 

 change he sees a probable explanation of the rather disappointing thera- 

 }>eutie results which have thus far been obtained by most observers from 

 oral administration of anterior pituitary substance. He believes that the 

 commercial preparations are unsatisfactory for hypodermic administra- 

 tion on account of the difficulty in freeing them of proteid without largely 

 destroying their activity. It is evident that our knowledge of the chem- 

 istry of the pars anterior is still very incomplete. 



Pharmacodynamic Effects. No immediate pharmacodynamic effects 

 on the various functions have been observed following either oral adminis- 

 tration or injection of anterior pituitary preparations. 35 Prolonged feed- 



34 \\ o do not know whether there is more than one active substance. 

 'Robertson states that in rabbits the intravenous injection of 150 mgm. of 

 tethelin (tin- amount contained in 15 whole ox glands) produced no immediate effects 

 other than a slight and transient rise in blood-pressure and an increase in the ampli- 

 tude of the heart beat. 



