42 
reports some incomplete experiments upon 
rabbits and dogs that tend in the same 
direction. Finally, Moussu,* from experi- 
ments made upon mammals and birds, at- 
tempts to define in general terms the differ- 
ence in function between thyroid and para- 
thyroid tissue. According to his experi- 
ments, removal of the parathyroids alone is 
followed by certain acute troubles, such as 
have been usually described as the result of 
complete thyroidectomy, while removal of 
the thyroid lobes alone is followed by 
chronic troubles of nutrition which he des- 
ignates as myxoedcematous or atrophic cre- 
tinism. This last result has not been con- 
firmed, so far as I am aware, by others, so 
that it cannot be accepted with entire con- 
fidence. It will be noted, however, that 
the tendency of this recent work is to show 
that the functional value of the thyroids 
and parathyroids is not identical, and that 
the importance hitherto attributed to the 
thyroids must be assigned, in part at least, 
to the parathyroids. The very great in- 
terest that these results may have when 
applied to human pathology and therapeu- 
tics will be evident to everyone. 
Finally, a word may be said as to the 
possibility that other tissues exist in the 
body capable of replacing entirely or in 
part the functions normally performed by 
the thyroids or the parathyroids. This 
possibility seems to be indicated by the fact, 
commented on by most experimenters in 
in this field, that occasionally animals are 
found in which apparently complete re- 
moyal of all the thyroid tissue, including 
the parathyroids, is not followed by a fatal 
result. Such cases may be explained by 
assuming the existence of accessory thy- 
roids or parathyroids that escape the atten- 
tion of the operator, but it is also possible 
that they may be due to the fact that there 
are other organs in the body that possess a 
thyroid function. Experiments in this di- 
* Moussu : Ibid, Jan. 16, 1897. 
SCIENCE. 
(N.S. Vou. VI. No. 132. 
rection have been made upon the spleen 
and the hypophysis cerebri. With regard 
to the former organ the results may be 
considered as entirely negative, while as 
regards the hypophysis the evidence is un- 
satisfactory. Some details concerning this 
last organ will be presented later. 
The results of recent physiological ex- 
periments upon the suprarenal bodies have 
not been less interesting, although less com- 
plete than those upon the thyroid. These 
curious bodies, like the thyroid, are found 
constantly in all classes of the vertebrates, 
and seem, therefore, to be organs of funda- 
mental importance. As long ago as 1856 
Brown-Séquard* stated that extirpation of 
both suprarenals is usually fatal to the ani- 
mal, death occurring generally very shortly 
after the operation, more rapidly, according 
to this observer, than after removal of both 
kidneys. This statement has been ques- 
tioned frequently by other observers, but 
the results of the renewed investigations 
that have followed upon the recent revival 
of interest in the physiology of the ductless 
glands seem to corroborate fully the account 
given by Brown-Séquard. In the case of 
, dogs, according to Szymonowicz,} death fol- 
lows the operation within fifteen hours. It 
has been shown, also, that in some species 
of animals accessory suprarenals are not 
uncommon, and it is possible that this fact 
may explain the survival of a certain num- 
ber of animals after supposed complete ex- 
tirpation of the suprarenals. Removal of 
only one suprarenal does not appear to 
cause any noticeable trouble. In the case 
of complete removal, followed by a fatal re- 
sult, the prominent symptoms preceding 
death are extreme muscular weakness, 
asthenia, and, in the case of dogs examined 
*Brown-S¢équard : Comptes rendus de |’Ac. des 
Sciences, XLIII., 1856. Journal de la Physiologie, 
T., 1858. 
+Szymonowicz : Archiv f. d. gesammte Physiologie, 
LXIV., 1896. 
