PREVIOUS TO 1930 the usual duration of life of patients with Addison’s disease was less than two years (1). Today, it is possible to extend greatly the period of survival and, in some instances, to restore patients to a life of normal, if limited, activity and economic independence (2). Three important contributions have made possible this remarkable advance in therapy: (a) the successful preparation of potent adrenal cortical extracts (3, 4); (b) an understanding of the disturbance in sodium and potassium metabolism which occurs in adrenal cortical insufficiency (5–9); and (c) the synthesis of a crystalline adrenal cortical hormone, desoxycorticosterone (10).
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George W. Thorn (1941) studied this question.