Evening star., 1937-06-09
3 NEW HORM0NE
TRACES DISCLOSED
Medical Association Told of
unsupported Evidence in
AdrenaI Glands.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Adrenal Glands.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
ATLANTIC CITY, June 9.-Evidence
Of at least three hitherto unsuspected
"hormones" in the adrenal glands
which may be of Importance in
medicine was presented before special
lists meeting in connection with the
American Medical Association here
today.
Hitherto the adrenals, close to the
kidneys, have afforded two OF the most
potent bio-chemical substances known
-adrenalin, whose instant and power
ful action on the heart makes it pos
sible sometimes literally to bring the
dead to life" and cortin in the absence
OF which life itself is impossible.
There is also present, it was brought
out today, some substance which in
minute amounts seems to control the
blood pressure. DR.. Elmer L. Sevring-
haus of the University of Wisconsin
told of remarkable effects produced by
administering preparations of the
whole gland to sufferers from various
types OF asthenias, conditions in which
one feels perpetually all in" without
any definite organic reason The
blood pressure drops to very low levels.
one Is always tired. The condition
often is associated with mental de-
spondency. In its extreme manifesto
lions, asthenia shades into the type of
insanity known as schizophrenia.
Dependency Relieved.
In normal patients-mostly graduate
students at the University of Wiscon-
sin-it was found possible to keep the
oiood pressure up to normal, to relieve
the dependency, and to do away with
the continual tired feeling by daily
doses of the whole cortex preparation.
Inns did not include adrenaln which
would raise blood pressure, but whose
effects would be immediate and of
brief duration.
DR.. r. G.. Hoskins Of the Harvard
Medical School told of administering
much the same preparation to schi-
zophrenlc patients with low blood
pressure. 1t raised the blood pressure,
out apparently did nothing to relieve
the mental dependency. Whatever
the blood-pressure principle in the
adrenal crotex may be it is extremely
elusive, DR.. Hoskins said. Now YOU
have it and now you don't" he said,
referring to efforts to obtain a frac-
ton OF the extract containing this
principle alone.
Dr. F. M. Pottenger, tr., of Mon
rovla, Ga, told of two other apparent
adrenal hormones, distinct from ad-
renalln and cortin, one Of which seems
to stimulate the reaching of maturity
and the other to be a male sex stimu-
lator and at the same time a repressor
or female sex characters. They are
found IN a preparation of the adrenal
corteX. which is soluble in benzene and
can be obtained in the form of a white
powder.
Advanced Development.
Iheatment with an adrenal prepara-
ton, he said, brought about a develop
ment both mentally and physically up
10 about their normal age level of BOYS
who were far too young for their ages
1t brought about a growth of the
bones. rapid development of "babv
faces into the faces of normal boys in
their teens, and in one case seemed to
orlng close to normal Intelligence
boy who was definitely feeble-minded.
Inc male stimulating fraction of
the adrenal cortex showed marked re-
suits in promoting the secondary male
characters but, when injected into fe-
male rats, showed marked repressing
effect.
Still another growth promoting sub
stance from the anterior lobe of the
pituitary was described by DR.. Oscar
Riddle OF the Carnegie Institution of
Washington. This is prolactin, the
hormone Of milk. Further expert
ments give evidence that it also may
be the "hormone of motherhood" since
injections cause maternal behavior In
male animals
DR.. Riddle now finds that both rats
and pigeons from whom the pituitary
gland has been removed and whose
growth almost is brought to a stand
still can be started growing again, al
though at much reduced rate, with
injections of prolactin. 1t long has
been known that in the anterior lobe
OF the pituitary there is a growth
promoting substance which, when its
secretion is below or above normal.
results in the production Of dwards and
giants. Dr. Riddle rigidly excluded
this known growth substance from his
prolactin experiments so that what
ever growth resulted was from the
milk-producing hormone alone.
Experimenting with pigeons, he
found that notable result of removal
OF the pituitary was almost complete
loss OF appetite. The birds would VOL
UNFAIRLY eat less than one sixth as
much as before the removal. The
prolactin restored the appetite almost
to normal
Colds Discussed.
The common cold is due almost en-
tirely to fllterable virus very similar
to the recently isolated virus which
supposedly causes influenza, DR.. A. r.
Dochez of Columbia University said In
paper read before the association
this morning. Not only has this virus
one of the innumerable family Of
supposedly living organisms far below
the limits Of vision with the most pow
erful microscopes-been found, but =
method has been devise for keeping