During the past few years medical literature has contained a constantly increasing number of papers dealing with the anterior pituitary gland. Yet, while there has been recorded a tremendous mass of experimental data demonstrating striking effects of administration of anterior pituitary substances to animals, there remains a great discrepancy between laboratory knowledge of these substances and their clinical application. Indeed, among conservative clinicians there exists a widespread skepticism as to their value.
Critical clinical reports are few, and it therefore seems worth while to record our own experience with the use of anterior pituitary extracts in children. We have tried them in a variety of conditions such as dwarfism, infantilism, hypogonadism, obesity of the Frohlich type and a few of mental or emotional imbalance. All these children received careful investigations, which included blood studies with chemistry as indicated, basal metabolism determinations, x-ray examination of the osseous system and other special examinations whenever required. Throughout the course of these therapeutic experiments we have attempted to compare periods of treatment with adequate control