390 USES OF THE LIVER DUCTLESS GLANDS 



gram), and is situated on the sella Turcica of the sphenoid bone. It is 

 said to be larger in the foetus than in the adult, and in foetal life it has a 

 cavity communicating with the third ventricle. This little body has 

 been studied by Grandry, in connection with the suprarenal capsules. 

 He regarded it as composed essentially of closed vesicles, with fibres of 

 connective tissue and bloodvessels. The vesicles are formed of a trans- 

 parent membrane, containing irregularly-polygonal nucleated cells and 

 free nuclei. The nuclei are distinct, with a well-marked nucleolus. 

 Capillary vessels surround these vesicles without penetrating them. 

 Grandry did not observe either nerve-cells or fibres between the vesicles. 



The pineal gland is situated just behind the posterior commissure of 

 the brain, between the nates, and is enclosed in the velum interpositum. 

 It is of a conical shape, one-third of an inch (8.5 millimeters) in length 

 and of nearly the color of the pituitary body. It is connected with 

 the base of the brain by several delicate commissural peduncles. It 

 presents a small cavity at its base, and frequently it contains in its sub- 

 stance little calcareous masses composed of calcium phosphate, cal- 

 cium carbonate, ammonio-magnesian phosphate and a small quantity 

 of organic matter. It is covered with a fibrous envelope which sends 

 processes into its interior. As the result of the researches of Grandry, 

 it has been found to present a cortical substance, analogous in structure 

 to the pituitary body, and a central portion, composed of the ordinary 

 nervous elements found in the gray matter of the brain. Its structure 

 is very like that of the medullary portion of the suprarenal capsules. 



Acromegaly and Giantism. Disease of the pituitary body, espe- 

 cially in adult life, is attended with great enlargement of the bones of 

 the extremities and the features of the face, or what is known as 

 acromegaly. When the disease occurs in early life, as development 

 progresses there is a condition known as giantism, the individual some- 

 times reaching an enormous stature. That there is some relation 

 between the pituitary body and acromegaly and giantism, there can 

 be no doubt ; but the nature of this relation is obscure. In some cases 

 of acromegaly, improvement has been noted following the exhibition of 

 extract of the normal pituitary body. 



Internal Secretion by the Testes and Ovaries. As early as 1889, 

 Brown-Se"quard described an internal secretion by the testes, and others 

 have included in their investigations the ovaries. While it is by no 

 means certain or even reasonably probable, notwithstanding the redun- 

 dant literature on the subject, that testicular extracts increase mental and 

 physical vigor in the male or that ovarian extracts have similar effects 

 on the female, these early experiments have the merit of having practi- 

 cally inaugurated important observations on the internal secretions of 



