ENDOCRINE BALANCE.

406 Foulerton puts forward an explanation of this anomaly. what the endocrines have been doing to a patient Recalling Leathes’s work, which showed that the before she comes to us ....." English surgeons common fatty changes in the liver are due to the will be conversant with similar extreme views. accumulation in the cells of that organ of fat brought which have been put forward in this country. We from the normal fat deposits of the body to be unsat- may recall a suggestion made art a recent disurated and so made ready for immediate use, he sug- cussion in London that the treatment of Graves’s gests that the arsenobenzol compounds are gradually disease consisted solely in administering the correct accumulated and stored up in the fat deposits during glandular extract. Long articles containing misa course of treatment, and then, owing to some slight leading statements have appeared in the lay press variation in the normal course of metabolism, are on the value of thyroid and other glandular extracts. carried to the liver with the fat in which they are Such statements are usually put forward without any dissolved in such quantities that the liver cells are adequate proof and too often are based only upon killed en masse. He points out in this connexion attractive though fantastic theories. The danger of that a considerable number of cases of delayed such views is two-fold. Firstly, there is the fact that salvarsan poisoning have occurred in men who have the extracts are widely advertised by their makers been in hospital for some weeks where rest and an and are often sold by chemists without any restriction, ample diet may be presumed to have led to the so that they may be taken in sufficiently large quanaccumulation of reserve fat; if such a case returns tities to give rise to dangerous symptoms. In this to a more strenuous life the mobilisation of some of respect it is only necessary to mention the ill-effects this fat may set free an undesirable quantity of that may follow the administration of large doses of arsenic. thyroid extract. In the second place, certain symptoms may be wrongly interpreted and extracts may be T.N.T. POISONING IN AMERICA. administered without any attempt being made to THE short period during which T.N.T. was exten- determine the cause of the symptoms. When extreme sively used in America afforded no opportunity for claims are made for the value of such extracts by exhaustive study of its poisonous effects, but the qualified medical men the danger becomes very great article by Dr. Alice Hamilton in the July issue of the indeed. Cushing, in his paper, has taken as the basis journal of I ndu8trial Hygiene gives a useful account of of his remarks the disorders of the pituitary gland. American experience in manipulating this high explo- He has carefully reviewed the symptoms which aresive during the war. It summarises reports made by caused by disorders of this organ and has shown how students placed in certain of the factories to make they may be treated ; but he also points out how observations ; there does not, however, seem to have very little evidence there is at present at hand to. been in the United States any organised medical show that the administration of extracts of this gland supervision of those exposed to risk as was established are of any real value. He lays stress upon the need with success in this country. Contrary to early English for those who would pursue the subject in the proper experience, the handling of pure T.N.T. seems to have spirit to keep an exact almanac of results, so that they been harmless compared with handling amatol, a may be able to avoid unfavourahle winds, currents mixture of T.N.T. with the hygroscopic salt, ammo- and counter-currents, and may discountenance the nium nitrate. The skin as a portal of entry was exl3loitation of the few discov,-ries that have already recognised to be of overwhelming importance, while been made. oily substances favoured absorption. No evidence, BLOOD SUGAR REGULATION. from observing negroes, could be obtained of any racial immunity. Most of those employed were men, IN a recent issue of the Jo2
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