196 MYXEDEMA 



anomalies of growth. It may be a mere coincidence, or vice versa, a resulting 

 condition of disease of the bone, to a certain extent a reflex from the bone to 

 the gland. After thyreoidectomy in animals the hypophysis is said to hyper- 

 trophy vicariously (HofEmeister), and in a few cases of myxedema hyper- 

 trophy of the pituitary gland has been found. But Ponfick, to whom we 

 owe two very accurately investigated cases of myxedema recently reported, 

 found upon transverse section in one case the glandular portion of the hypoph- 

 ysis enlarged, in the other case a decided destruction of the organ so that 

 the tubules of the gland were replaced to a great extent by a " worthless fibrous 

 mass." Here also there are evidently contradictions and enigmas which still 

 await solution, especially as we can state nothing definite in regard to possible 

 therapeutic results. 



Although we are completely in the dark in regard to these last-named 

 affections, and for the present are compelled to await further investigations, 

 this much is certain, that in thyreoid therapy we possess a remedy previously 

 unknown with which to combat a number of chronic diseases, which even a 

 short time ago were looked upon as incurable, and which it was thought impos- 

 sible to influence therapeutically. This type of therapy has been designated 

 organotherapy or opotherapy, otto's, juice), and, by a hasty generalization, the 

 principles which are the foundation of thyreoid gland therapy have been mis- 

 applied to preparations from other organs. It has been forgotten that, in the 

 ease of the thyreoid gland, we are dealing with successes gained in conformity 

 with well-founded physiologic and pathologic experiments and observations. 

 If now we attempt to extend this substitutiontherapy to all the other organs 

 which are looked upon (more or less correctly) as the cause and seat of cer- 

 tain diseases, corresponding extracts and preparations from these organs are 

 thrown upon the market. But it must be remembered that, barring isolated 

 exceptions, there is no reasonable foundation for any hope of success. Here 

 the wish has been father to the thought, and views have sometimes become so 

 extravagant that a certain resemblance to the notorious " similia similibus " 

 of homeopathy resulted. As a matter of fact, treatment by organotherapy is 

 by no means of recent origin, as is commonly supposed. 



Park, in a very interesting article in the Buffalo Medical Journal, 1899, 

 has shown that it may be traced to a very early epoch in the history of medicine. 



In China, since remote antiquity, the Juice from macerated pigs' lungs 

 is said to have been an efficient remedy for pulmonary diseases ; for headache, 

 pigs' brains are taken; for dysentery and chronic diarrhea, pigs' intestines 

 are administered; semen is reputed a potent tonic in chlorosis, anemia, impo- 

 tence, etc. Tout comme cliez nous! 



Strictly speaking, the administration of ovarian extract is the only one 

 of these attempts that is founded upon experimental proof as well as upon 

 analogy. The administration of pancreatic substance in diabetes (on account 

 of the experimentally proven relation of the pancreas to glycosuria and dia- 

 betes, is a therapeutic experiment which, critically examined, is based 

 upon nothing more than analogy, and lacks direct experimental proof. Ee- 

 garding ovarian therapy, i. e., the use of so-called oophorin tablets, Loewy 

 and Eichter have demonstrated experimentally the interesting fact that in 



