784 HENRY G. BARBOUR 



was not found in rats by Cramer and McCall. Watanabe finds the blood 

 sugar and diastase unaltered. 



Denis, Aub and Minot have shown that glucose tolerance may be used 

 as a diagnostic test in thyroid disease. The blood sugar is taken as the 

 criterion. 



Fat Metabolism-. Thyroid substances must be employed only with 

 great caution if at all to reduce obese conditions not due to thyroid 

 deficiency. 



Growth. Gudernatsch discovered that thyroid feeding retards growth 

 but hastens development in frog larvae. 



Pituitary Substance. Total Metabolism. No significant effect upon 

 the basal metabolism, according to Snell, Ford and Rowntree, is exerted 

 by the administration of pituitary substance. 



Water Metabolism. While some observers have described fleeting 

 diuretic effects with pituitary extract its most striking influence is an- 

 tagonistic to the flow of urine. This is seen, for example, in rabbits, 

 which under the influence of the drug give no significant diuretic response 

 to administration of large amounts of water. (Hotzfeldt.) Rees finds 

 no alteration of the daily urine output in cats under pituitary treatment. 

 The antidiuretic effect lasts but several hours. Diuresis due to continuous 

 intravenous injection of saline was not affected. Konschegg and Schuster 

 find that one to two c.c. given to normal individuals diminish both the 

 volume and the solids of the urine, the effect lasting sixteen hours. 



In diabetes insipidus injections of pituitary reduce materially the 

 volume of urine and the thirst. 



Barker and Mosenthal found that subcutaneous daily injections of at 

 least two one c.c. doses of pituitary extract (pars posterior and pars 

 intermedia) were effective in diabetes insipidus over a long period. The 

 urine was diminished in amount, its specific gravity raised ; the per- 

 centages of sodium chlorid and of nitrogen became increased. 'Pet-helm 

 treatment was not successful nor was the posterior lobe extract of any 

 value by mouth. 



Kennaway and Mottram also found subcutaneous injections of 

 pituitary extract effective in diabetes insipidus while orally it was value- 

 less. 



Clausen found in a boy of nine and one-half years the usual reduction 

 in fluid excretion by the kidney after pituitary treatment in diabetes 

 insipidus; the hourly chlorid excretion was much reduced. The hourly 

 excretion of urea, creatinin, uric acid and titratable acids was, on the 

 other hand, but slightly affected. 



According to Lcschke midbrain and not pituitary disturbances are 

 responsible for diabetes inspidus. 



The galactagogic effect of pituitary is probably not secretory but due 

 merely to contraction of the smooth muscle of the glands. (Gaines.) 



