In the last few years the attention of the profession has been increasingly directed toward the group of patients classified under the terms of "adrenal cortical syndrome," "pituitary basophilic syndrome," and hirsutes complicated by symptoms resembling these groups. The most characteristic symptoms are general hirsutism, plethora, high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, pink or bluish abdominal striae, amenorrhea and enlargement of the clitoris, and osteoporosis.
In 1934 I1 reported the presence in high concentration of estrogenic substance in the urine of two patients with advanced and disseminated adrenal cortical carcinoma. Both of these cases came to autopsy.2 Since then the urines of patients with various diseases showing some of the symptoms just mentioned have been similarly tested. Fifteen gave a negative reaction. A summary of the conditions is given in table 1. Only two further positive reactions were obtained. These occurred in patients who were found to have adrenal cortical carcinoma.