Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: INTERNAL SECRETIONS Pineal Gland Total destruction of the pineal gland by malignant tumor results in profound cachexia with trophic derangement. Pineal tumor results in obesity but not genital atrophy. Pineal obesity is probably due to hyperfunction, but this is not certain, because obesity is observed in pineal disease where there is certainly a reduction of secretion. Pineal tumor, generally teratoma in boys of under seven years, produces abnormal growth in height, abnormal growth of hair, premature development of the genitalia and of sexual instinct, and mental precocity. In these cases the changes were associated with a diminution of the pineal tissue. During the period of the complete development of the pineal gland—that is, until the seventh year—this organ normally exerts an inhibitory influence upon the development of the sexual glands, and probably has a secondary effect on mental development. Destruction of the pineal gland at this stage leads to physical precocity. There is an antagonism between pineal gland and hypophysis, for pituitary insufficiency causes hypogenitalism. It appears that in adult animals the pineal gland is of lesser consequence. The pineal gland shows its chief functional activity in childhood; a significant involution of the structure occurs at puberty. Pineal enlargement, whether associated with hyper- plasia or hypoplasia, may produce a tendency toward adiposity. Certain types of pineal tumor are characterized by extraordinary precocious puberty. According to Frankl-Hochwart, "when in a young individual (boy) there is increase in stature and unaccustomed growth of hair, obesity, drowsiness, a premature g-enital and sexual development, with evidence of precocity of adolescence, pineal tumor must be thought of." Thymus When the thymus is...