CHAPTER XI 



THE INFLUENCE OF THE DUCTLESS GLANDS 

 ON GROWTH AND METABOLISM 



These questions have been discussed in the vari- 

 ous portions of the book dealing with the pathology 

 of the subject. The essential features may be 

 brought together in this chapter. 



It has been shown that castration in early life 

 may lead to abnormal growth of the skeleton. On 

 the other hand, the removal or atrophy of the thy- 

 roid, pituitary, and presumably the thyrnus, leads 

 to arrested growth (the cretin is an example). 

 Where the pituitary and (perhaps) the thymus 

 are overactive, we get excessive growth (gigantism 

 and acromegaly are types). 



Whether the other ductless glands influence 

 growth is not clear. 



When we come to the influence of the glands on 

 metabolism on the various reactions that go on 

 within the body we find that the ductless glands 

 are of great importance. The thyroid is the fore- 

 most metabolic regulator of the body. We have 

 already seen how the metabolic rate is accelerated 



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