INTERRELATION OF THE ENDOCRIN ORGANS 923 



thyroidectomy. Guerini (1905) noted hypertrophy, but since he obtained 

 a similar result from the administration of pilocarpin and other poisons, 

 he regarded it as merely a reaction to the thyroid as a toxin. Delille 

 (1909) stated that in rabbits treated with thyroid material the hypophysis 

 showed at first a slight hyperplasia, but soon reached a state of exhaustion. 

 E. R. Hoskins (1916) observed some evidence of hypertrophy in the 

 hypophysis of male rats to which thyroid was administered, but the female 

 animals showed decrease of hypophyseal weight. 



There is thus fairly convincing evidence of a definite relationship be- 

 tween the thyroid and the hypophysis. If Guerini's explanation of the 

 effect of hyperthyroidism upon the hypophysis is accepted, the recorded 

 observations support fairly well the theory of Rogowitsch that the organ 

 can function vicariously for the thyroid. The evidence, however, does 

 not exclude the possibility that the thyroid normally exercises an inhibitory 

 influence upon the hypophysis, and that the hypertrophy noted in the hypo- 

 thyroidism is due simply to the removal of this check upon its activity. 

 That the administration of hypophyseal material can in a measure com- 

 pensate for the loss of the thyroid is indicated by the results of Livingston 

 (a) (1914) and Larson (1919). The latter observer studied somewhat ex- 

 tensively the effect of the administration of anterior lobe substance upon 

 the development of thyroidectomized rats. The hypothyroid symptoms 

 were ameliorated and life was definitely prolonged. Hoskins and Hos- 

 kins (1920) further noted that thyroidectomized tadpoles, which noi;- 

 mally persist for months in the immature stage, can be made to metamor- 

 phose promptly by the administration of hypophyseal substance. 



Relation between Thyroid and Gonads. Clinicians have long held 

 that the thyroid exerts an important influence upon the sex-glands. In 

 cases of Graves' disease, the sex functions are often affected. Many ob- 

 servers have mentioned menstrual disturbances occurring during the 

 course of that malady. The literature was discussed extensively by Sat- 

 tler in 1909. He cited the observations of several other clinicians as to 

 menstrual conditions in Graves' disease. In Trousseau's experience, all 

 cases showed anomalies. Griffith observed amenorrhea in 6 of 28 cases. 

 Many of West's 38 cases showed irregularity. In 48 cases reported by 

 Russell, however, menstruation was regular in most instances. In Mur- 

 ray's 170 cases, 45 showed irregularities and 24 amenorrhea. In 19 of 

 Manheim's 36 cases this function was normal. Many of Kocher's cases 

 showed irregularities. Moebius, on the other hand, thought that men- 

 strual disturbances are no more frequent in Graves' disease than in any 

 other equally serious illness, while Oppenheim regarded amenorrhea as 

 unusual. Rogers (1910) has reported that in his experience menstrual 

 disturbances, with enlarged and tender ovaries, always occur in this dis- 

 ease. While such observations are by no means unequivocal, they indi- 

 cate that menstrual disturbances are at least not infrequent. Rather more 



