126 



Scientific Proceedings (119). 



the body temperature regulation. This destruction of the 

 structures around the third ventricle, it is obvious, might also 

 involve the hypophysis. Inasmuch as a subnormal temperature 

 is among the cycle of disturbances following injuries or removal 

 of the hypophysis (Cushing and others) the temperature distur- 

 bance might be attributed to hypophyseal injury, rather than to 

 the lesion in the brain. The experiments have been repeated 

 therefore taking particular care not to traumatize the hypophysis. 



A series of pigeons were reduced to the poikilothermous con- 

 dition by cauterization of the thalamus. After death absence 

 of any gross visible changes in the hypophysis was confirmed. 

 The organ in each of these animals had a perfectly normal appear- 

 ance although there may have been circulatory alterations or 

 cytological changes invisible to the naked eye. 



However this may be the injection intra-peritoneally of from 

 .2 to 1.0 c.c. of pituitary extract (posterior lobe — Lilly) causes a 

 sharp rise in body temperature of the poikilothermous birds. 



table 1. 

 Poikilothermous Decerebrate Pigeon. 









Body 



Date. 



Time. 



Temperature of Cage. 



Temperature. 



Nov. 3 



8.00 A.M. 



25 0 C 



31.2 0 c. 





11.00 A.M. 



25 0 C. 



30.4 0 c. 





12.30 P.M. 



Injection of .4 c.c. of pituitrin 







2.00 P.M. 



25 0 C. 



34-2° C. 





3-30 P.M. 



25° C. 



36.0 0 C. 





5.00 P.M. 



26 0 C. 



38. i° C. 





8.00 P.M. 



26 0 C. 



37-0° C. 





11.30 P.M. 



26 0 C. 



36.2 0 C. 





10.00 A.M. 



25 0 C. 



34-8° C. 





2.00 P.M. 



25 0 C. 



34-6° C. 



it it 



2.15 P.M. 



Injection of .4 c.c. of pituitrin 







315 P.M. 



24 0 C. 



37-0° C. 





4.30 P.M. 



24 0 C. 



38.0 0 C. 





6.00 P.M. 



24 0 C. 



39-1° C 





7.30 P.M. 



24 0 C. 



39 3° C. 



Nov. 5 



10.00 A.M. 



25 0 C. 



32.0 0 C. 



Injection of the extract into normal birds causes no tempera- 

 ture reaction greater than the range of the diurnal variations. 



In the poikilothermous pigeon whose body temperature is 

 artificially maintained at a normal level by keeping in a warm 

 incubator, injection of pituitary extract is followed by a rise in 

 temperature such as to threaten heat prostration. 



