PITUITARY DWARFISM

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Abstract
Dwarfism has been known throughout recorded history, but the relation of the pituitary to certain kinds of dwarfism has been recognized only recently. Evans and Long1 accelerated the growth of normal rats by the injection of a saline extract of the anterior pituitary gland of the ox, and this was later confirmed by Smith.2 Such observations were encouraging in regard to the possibility of a treatment for patients with pituitary dwarfism, and the isolation of the pure growth hormone by Li and Evans3 offered added encouragement. In the mid 1930's crude extracts of the anterior pituitary gland, in which the growth hormone was slightly more concentrated than in other crude extracts, became available and were tried by several investigators. Engelbach and Schaefer,4 Turner,5 and Schaefer6 reported growth in pituitary dwarfs following the administration of these extracts. Certain metabolic alterations were observed by Schaefer6
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