THE THYROID APPARATUS 67 



blood. These findings were confirmed by those of later authors 

 (Stieda, Tizzoni and Centanni, Hofmeister, Gley, Leonhardt, 

 Pisenti and Viola, Alquier, Lusena, Thaon, Torri, Lucien and 

 Parisot). Katzenstein and Traina were unable to find hyper- 

 trophy of the hypophysis after thyroidectomy, and this is 

 obviously due to the fact that their subjects were examined too 

 'soon after the removal of the gland. Cimoroni showed that the 

 hypertrophy of the pituitary gland is due to the removal, not of 

 the parathyroids, but of the thyroid. According to this author, 

 the hypertrophy of the hypophysis, consequent upon thyroidec- 

 tomy, acquires a specific character from the presence of certain 

 cells, which distinguish it, more particularly by their size, from 

 the hypertrophy which follows castration. 



Herring describes noticeable changes affecting the glia cells in 

 the nervous parts of the hypophysis after thyroidectomy. 



The enlargement of the spleen, which is sometimes seen 

 after removal of the thyroid, cannot be regarded as typical of 

 the condition. 



The changes in the processes of metabolism which follow 

 thyroidectomy are constant and, to a certain extent, characteristic. 

 The older experiments, those in which thyroparathyroidectomy was 

 carried out with dogs and cats, can scarcely be employed as evid- 

 ence in this connection. The muscular contractions characteristic 

 of the acute tetany which follows this operation bring about an 

 augmented metabolism ; moreover, as animals in this condition 

 are either unable to take food or take it very spasmodically, it is 

 obvious that accurate observation of metabolic changes is 

 impossible. For this reason, a large number of experiments 

 undertaken with the object of determining the metabolism of gases 

 .and of albumin (E. Maier, Smith, Michaelsen, Dutto and Monaco, 

 E. Roos, Ver Ecke, Verstraeten, Gluzinski and Lemberger, 

 Formanek, Ducceschi, &c.) are highly contradictory in their 

 results. 



Extirpation of the thyroid alone brings about a diminution 

 of metabolism, a fall in the physiological interchange of gases 

 and a reduction in the amount of albumin required by the 

 organism. Eppinger, Falta and Rudinger found that, in 

 thyroidectomized dogs in which the parathyroids were left intact, 

 the metabolism of albumin in the fasting state is lower than in 

 normal dogs of the same weight. In larger animals, provided 

 that hypertrophied accessory glands are not present, the reduction 

 in the amount of albumin metabolized in the fasting state amounts 

 to one-third. The exhibition of carbohydrates or fats either 

 does not lower the metabolism of albumin, or does so in a 

 lesser degree than under normal conditions. 



The metabolism of the carbohydrates in thyroidless animals 

 has been dealt with by various authors. According to Falkenberg 

 and R. Hirsch, the removal of the thyroid produces glycosuria and 



