PINEAL GLANDS 93 



pancreas, and even the auriculo-ventricular bundle of 

 the heart. 



Frohlich and others have shown that there is 

 another group of cases, totally distinct from acro- 

 megaly, but again associated with tumours of the 

 pituitary gland. These are characterized by excessive 

 fatness, by infantile stature and development, by a 

 childish type of the genital organs, and by absence 

 of the secondary sexual characters. It may be that 

 we shall yet find abnonnahties of the pituitary gland 

 in other varieties of infantihsm or of adiposity. 



Most cases of pituitary tumour which have been 

 diagnosed during hfe have given additional evidence 

 of their presence by involving the optic chiasma and 

 causing blindness of the nasal half of each retina. 

 The skiagram shows enlargement of the sella turcica. 

 In many cases there are headache, vomiting, and 

 other signs of intracranial pressure. 



We must now attempt to classify our information, 

 and endeavour to come to some clear conception of 

 the functions of the pituitary gland, and the causa- 

 tion of these various types of disease. 



A year or two ago it was the prevalent opinion 

 that the anterior and posterior lobes must be con- 

 sidered to be entirely unconnected glands, having a 

 different development, histology, and function. The 

 posterior lobe was connected with the production of 

 an internal secretion, probably in the colloid fur- 

 nished by the pars intermedia, which was poured 

 into the ventricular system of the brain, and extracts 

 of this lobe raised the blood-pressure. There is some 

 evidence that in acromegaly the anterior lobe is 



