26 



Scientific Proceedings (55). 



In a series of hibernating animals (woodchucks) it has been 

 found that during the dormant period the pituitary gland not only 

 diminishes in size but undergoes extreme histological alterations, 

 chiefly evident in the cells of the pars anterior, which completely 

 lose their characteristic differential reactions to acid and basic 

 stains. At the end of the dormant period the gland enlarges and 

 the cells regain their characteristic staining reactions. 



On the basis of this observation hibernation may be ascribed 

 to a period of physiological inactivity, possibly of the entire 

 ductless gland series, but certainly more especially of the pituitary 

 body, not only for the reason that the changes in this structure 

 are particularly apparent but because deprivation of the secretion 

 of this gland alone of the entire series produces a train of symptoms 

 comparable to those of hibernation. 



15 (832) 



The pars anterior and its relation to the reproductive glands. 



By Emil Goetsch and Harvey Cushing. 



[From the Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 



Mass.] 



We wish to report briefly some of the results obtained thus 

 far by the feeding of dried extract of bovine hypophysis to young 

 rats of pure breed and known pedigree. The animals were taken 

 as soon as weaned at the age of three or four weeks. In each 

 instance the experiments were controlled by observations on other 

 rats of the same litter, kept under similar conditions without 

 grandular administration. A known weight of dried extract 

 (.1-.05 gm.) was given daily in a bread and milk pill, and over 

 varying lengths of time, after which the animals were sacrificed 

 and the reproductive glands examined. Both anterior and pos- 

 terior lobe extracts were used and in several instances ovarian or 

 corpus luteum extract was given in equal dosage to the control 

 animals, to rule out the effect of administration of glandular 

 extracts in general. 



In a limited number of instances pairs of young rats of the same 



