PUBERTAS PRECOX 



347 



Pineal Body or Epiphysis 



It is believed that this body begins to atrophy at the 7th year, but 

 that portions of it are still active in adult life. Cases of sexual pre- 

 cocity associated with tumor of the pineal have been described by Frankl- 

 Hochwart, Ogle, Oesterreich-Slavyk and Horrax. Frankl-Hochwart's 

 case was a boy of 5% years who was as large as one 9 years old. His 

 testicles and penis were as 

 large as of one 15 : his men- 

 tality was developed far 

 beyond his years. The 

 autopsy showed a teratoma 

 of the epiphysis. Ogle's 

 case was a boy of 6 who had 

 a penis like that of a boy of 

 16-17. The testicles were 

 not enlarged: masturbation 

 was practiced: pubic hair 

 was plentiful. A teratoma 

 of the pineal was found in 

 this case also. It is of in- 

 terest that all of these cases 

 were boys and that in none 

 of them was reference made 

 to growth of hair on the 

 face. These reports have 

 led to the experimental re- Fige L Case of Dr> Gilbert Ho rrax. Repro- 



moval of the epiphysis in duced by author's permission from Arch. Int. Med. 



vrmnn. a 1 1916 ' X ^ IL 629 ' Girl f U V^' hei g ht 152 Cm ' 



young d (60 in.), (114 Ibs.). At one year began to develop 



Horrax successfully re- abnormally physically; menstruated regularly and 

 i -j. i showed other secondary characteristics just before 



moved It in guinea pigs and n years Supposed to be a case of pineal disease; 

 rats. The male guinea pigs X-Ray showed enlargement of sella turcica. 

 showed a hastened develop- 

 ment of the sexual organs. There was, as compared with the controls, a 

 relative increase in the size and weight of testes and seminal vesicles: 

 these organs also showed, histologically, a more advanced stage. In the 

 females there was no demonstrable change in the genitalia, but they 

 seemed to show a tendency to breed earlier. In the rats there was some 

 evidence of hastened maturity but the observation could not be completed. 

 Foa(a) removed the pineal from young chickens and noted that the males 

 showed a greatly accelerated sexual development: the females showed no 

 effect. In the puppies and guinea pigs experimented upon by Sarteschi(&) 

 there was an increase in the size and weight of the testes. 



