Studies of the Endocrine Glands*

In a recent communication one of us (Rowe, 1) has presented the details of an objective method for the differential diagnosis of endocrine disorders, together with an analysis of a series of one thousand cases to which it has been applied. The present paper deals with the results obtained in the study, by this method, of a series of cases, four hundred in number, in which some form of pituitary malfunction was demonstrated as a primary etiological factor. As the full details of the method have been published in the earlier communication, it is enough here to state that a very thorough physical examination and the compilation of a detailed medical history are supplemented by a long series of laboratory tests, the significance of which has been demonstrated by elaborate preliminary studies. In addition, detailed examinations by the specialists of the consulting staff give supplementary information concerning indications of endocrine disease, and, even more significantly, the presence or absence of disorders of a non-endocrine etiology.