404 THE DUCTLESS GLANDS 



that the actual commencement of the mischief in acromegaly 

 may be situated in the reproductive organs. 



Action of the Pituitary Body upon the Adrenal Bodies 



Certain French observers have described hyperplasia of the 

 adrenal cortex after feeding with pituitary substance. Gottlieb 

 has shown that extracts of the posterior lobe of the pituitary 

 and of the chromaphil tissues mutually assist the action of one 

 another upon the bloodvessels. Thus an injection of a email 

 dose of adrenin will increase the subsequent effect of a dose of 

 pituitrin, and vice versa. It is also stated that an excess of 

 adrenin is poured out into the blood-stream as the result of an 

 injection of extract of the posterior lobe of the pituitary. The 

 evidence for a direct action of pituitary upon either the chroma- 

 phil tissue or the adrenal crotex is not, however, very con- 

 vincing. 



Action of the Pituitary Body upon the Pancreas 



How far the facts before us point to a direct action of the 

 pituitary upon the pancreas is doubtful. We know that sub- 

 pituitarism leads to an increased sugar tolerance. According 

 to Gushing, this depends upon the function of the posterior 

 lobe. Animals from whom this lobe has been removed will 

 not develop glycosuria when the pancreas is extirpated. But 

 the production of glycosuria by removal of the pancreas is due 

 to an action on the liver. 



Glycosuria occurs in acromegaly, and this has been sup- 

 posed to be due to changes in the pancreas. The evidence on 

 this point is unsatisfactory. 



Many authors believe that there is some kind of functional 

 correlation between pituitary, chromaphil tissue, pancreas, 

 liver, and thyroid, so that any interference with the function 

 of any one of them may affect the carbohydrate metabolism 

 through its influence upon the others. 



To sum up the influence of the pituitary upon the other 

 ductless glands it may be definitely affirmed that the organ 

 has some influence upon the growth of the reproductive organs, 

 but the evidence for a direct effect upon the thyroid, adrenals 

 and pancreas is much less convincing. 



