Pituitary body in its relation to the skeleton

Abstract

The pituitary body in its relation to the skeleton: a review of the literature, with a preliminary report on personal experiments, and notes on experimental surgery.This research is not presented as a completed scientific investigation. It may be worth while, however, to give an account of the objects in view and the methods employed, together with a preliminary communication of the results obtained up to the present time.The object of this research is primarily to further the elucidation of the problems which concern diseases of bones. It is recognized that a thorough knowledge of the physiological conditions which influence bone growth, bone maintenance and bone repair is essential before pathological states are fully comprehensible and their rational treatment possible. The subject of normal bone growth and maintenance has therefore been taken up first; and the investigation resolves itself into an inquiry into the factors which exercise an important influenc on this.Before proceeding to apply the scheme of investigation ... it is necessary to review any previous investigations bearing on the subject. This must include the effects of pituitary disturbances on the other endocrine organs, and the influence of any such disturbance of another organ on bone. The importance of this general review is obvious when we consider the interdependence of the members of the endocrine group, the complex derangements which may thus follow a lesion of any one of them, and the consequent difficulty in interpreting the results of such a lesion. This subject is dealt with in Section I.The available methods of investigation then fall to be considered. In Section II the more general points are set forth; and in Section III the operative methods used are given in detail. The general results of operations and pituitary feeding are dealt with in Section IV. Section V contains summaries of individual experiments; and Section VI gives my own results in relation to bone growth.