Remarkable Effectiveness of Small Daily Doses of Growth Hormone in Dogs

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Abstract
Assayed growth prepns. administered to adult bitches were far more effective in producing N storage when injected in small daily doses of 2.5, 5.0 and 10 mg., than when large single doses of 200 mg. were given. The amt. of N stored varied considerably in similar expts. and gain in wt. varied still more. Since N equilibrium was greatly affected even after the smallest daily dose of 2.5 mg.[long dash]a quantity about twice as large as the daily insulin requirement of dogs it is surmised that the amount of growth hormone normally secreted by the anterior pituitary in adult animals is a minute one, comparable with the maintenance requirement for other hormones and vitamins. The sensitivity of this response of the adult intact bitch is, on a per kg. basis, comparable with that of young hypo-physectomized rats, and will facilitate studies of the relationships between insulin and growth hormone with highly purified prepns.