The Importance of Endocrinology 

 for the General Practitioner 



CHAELES E. DE M. SAJOUS 



PHILADELPHIA. 



1. Introduction 



Swale Vincent, writing in 1913, said "Sajous apparently postulates 

 a relationship between all the ductless glands whose functions, according 

 to this writer, dominate most of the bodily activities, normal and patho- 

 logical." This comment referred to the author's treatise published in 

 1903 in which an effort was made to describe the great significance of 

 the internal secretions in physiology, general pathology and the clinic. 

 Since that work was published there has been a growing recognition of the 

 relationship of the glands of internal secretion to all the bodily and mental 

 functions. One sees this in evidence throughout the whole realm of 

 medical thought. It is, of course, naturally gratifying that time has sus- 

 tained the position taken by the writer some twenty years ago. 



Work upon the endocrin glands, their structures, their functions and 

 their pathology has led to great advances in knowledge during the past 

 two decades. Anatomists, physiologists, biochemists, pharmacologists, 

 pathologists and, above all, clinicians have contributed to these advances. 

 Monograph after monograph has appeared in every country of the world 

 in which active medical research is carried on. Articles upon endocrin- 

 ological subjects now appear in all the medical journals, not only in 

 the general but also in the special journals. Recently, in this country, 

 a journal devoted entirely to the subject of endocrinology and containing 

 both original papers and abstracts of the work done throughout the world 

 upon endocrin subjects has been started. Medical clubs have, I am glad 

 to say, been formed in the United States for the study of endocrin sub- 

 jects "and the Association for the Study of Internal Secretions, which 

 was organized a few years ago, now has a large membership drawn not 

 only from every State in the Union but also from foreign countries. 

 Thus, the subject of endocrinology, which was once looked upon some- 

 what askance, has of late years become one of the most important fields 

 of medical research. 



The general practitioner has a keen sense of practical values. 



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