STUDIES ON THYROIDS*

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Abstract
A general summary is given of various earlier studies on the thyroid of pigeons by the author and collaborators. New data are supplied supporting the earlier described seasonal size changes in the thyroid. The thyroids are largest in autumn and winter; they decrease in the spring and are smallest in summer. The testes and ovaries undergo seasonal size changes in a direction opposite to that of the thyroids. Seasonal parathyroid activity, as measured by blood Ca, probably runs parallel with that of the gonads and opposite to that of the thyroid. The distinctly new contribution is a preliminary account of the successful establishment of various "thyroid races" in ring doves. Within 6 years at least 2 races characterized by hereditarily large thyroids, and 2 or more races with hereditarily small thyroids, have been established. This is the first case of the conscious and purposeful establishment of a race characterized by the size of an endocrine organ.

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