THE PITUITARY BOD? 



lap tremors may appear, the respiration ;ui<1 pulse becomi . the back 

 arched, the temperature subnormal; and, usually within about forty- 

 eight hours, < a develops and the animal dies in this condition. When 



the symptoms are less acute ;iu<l death does not occur arly, it is 



believed by Cushing either thai small portions of the gland have b< 

 l«i't behind or thai some vicarious activity of other organs has developed 

 to replace thai of the pituitary. 



When only a pari of the pituitary is removed, the symptoms are not 

 marly so acute, and the condition is known as hypopii m. It is | 

 study of this condition thai mosl facts concerning the Function of the an- 

 terior lobe have been learned. When the operation is performed on young 

 animals, they fail to grow properly; the milk teeth ami the lanugo are re- 

 tained; the epiphyses d >1 ankylose; the thyroid and thymus glands are 



enlarged; and the cortex of the suprarenal and the sexual organs fails 

 develop. The animal, though small, becomes very fat and may therefore in- 

 crease in weight. There is distind evidence of mental dullness. Prom tl 



ilts it is concluded that tin anterior lobe of tin pituitary pn 

 autacoids having to do with tin development of tin skeletal and other 

 structures of the growing nun, mi. That this autacoid is no1 derived from 

 the posterior lobe is evidenced by the fad thai partial injury of this 

 lobe, or indeed its entire removal, is qoI followed by similar symptoms. 



Closer examination of the metabolic function in hypophysectomized 

 animals has shown that there is a marked depression in th< iratory 



exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, and thai the ability to metabo- 

 lize carbohydrate becomes heightened ; that is to say, the animal can tolerate 

 a larger quantity of sugar than the normal animal without develop- 

 ing glycosuria. This effect on carbohydrate metabolism may how- 

 ever be associated no1 so much with the function of the anterior 

 with thai of ih<> posterio . ter, Cushing and his 



pupils have found that extracl of the posterior lobe has a marked influence 

 on the assimilation limit of carbohydrat< 



Attempts have been made to grafl the pituitary, especially the ai I 

 lobe, into various parts of the body. It has been found, 1 r, that 



within a few days the grafts atrophy ami disappear unless thei 

 i complete removal of the pituitary itself, in whicl 



may remain for a month or so and the otherwise fatal outcome of hypophy- 



sectomy he warded off. Sometimes, where the grafl lias remained for a 



longer time, [\ is said that a temporary increase in tin the 



animal has been noticed 



Other observers have investigated the effects in normal anim: ds 

 continuous oral administration of pituitary substance 



