INTERRELATIONS 407 



Action of the Reproductive Organs on the Adrenal Bodies 

 During pregnancy there is a distinct enlargement of the 

 adrenal bodies. This chiefly affects the cortex, but there is 

 some growth of the medulla also (Elliott and Tuckett). What 

 is the mechanism or what the significance of this overgrowth 

 is not known. 



Action of the Reproductive Organs on the Thyroid 



A direct influence of ovary and testes upon the thyroid body 

 is not known to exist. 



It appears probable, then, that deficiency of the sex organs 

 leads to hypertrophy of the pituitary body possibly by remov- 

 ing a normal check upon it. Activity of the sex glands seems 

 to lead to depression of the thymus. The influence of the 

 gonads on the adrenal and thyroid bodies is of a doubtful 

 nature. 



E. Interrelationships involving the Thymus 



Activities of the thymus upon the gonads and upon the 

 thyroids have been alleged, but the experimental evidence is 

 not conclusive. 



F. Other Interrelationships 



In regard to the influences exerted upon the other endo- 

 crinous organs by the pancreas, the parathyroids and the 

 pineal body, there is little that need be said here. There is 

 little direct evidence that the pancreas does actually depress 

 the thyroid, though this supposition is an important part of 

 the theory of the Vienna school. The relation of the para- 

 thyroids to the thyroid is sufficiently discussed in Chapter 

 XIII. and the relations of the pineal to the organs of repro- 

 duction in Chapter XVI. 



The " Pluriglandular Syndrome" 



Within recent years a great deal has been written about 

 what is called the " pluriglandular syndrome." The general 

 conception which has been evolved is by no means definite. 

 But in general terms it may be stated as follows. In 



