Abstract
A complete hypophysectomy with cautery at the base of the brain was done by Frederick L. Reichert on a female collie (hybrid) puppy 7 weeks of age from a litter where fortunately we had a sister control. Every 2 weeks, weighings and radiographs of the leg and skull were taken. After 2 such periods it was evident that the hypophysectomy was complete. Six months after the operation daily administration of Prolan was begun and continued for 53 days. An average of 30 cc. was given daily. At this juncture an ovary and one uterine horn were removed and sectioned. The naked eye impression of infantilism in the genitalia was verified. The animal was allowed to rest for 2 weeks. For a month thereafter about 15 cc. daily of a more potent preparation of Prolan was administered. This was proven to contain 80 to 100 rat units per cc. Death from a pneumonia at this juncture terminated the experiment but examination of the remaining ovary and uterine horn showed essentially the same conditions as were previously found, i. e., a persisting true infantilism.
Two other puppies were totally hypophysectomized at 6 weeks of age and subsequently similarly treated with Prolan—one of them a year after the operation and hence open to the objection that an irretrievable recession and fibrosis of the ovaries had resulted before treatment. The second puppy was hence treated 2 months after the operation but in spite of prolonged high dosage with Prolan the results were completely negative as in the first case reported.
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