OBSERVATIONS ON THE METABOLISM OF DOGS MADE PERMANENTLY DIABETIC BY TREAT- MENT WITH ANTERIOR PITUITARY EXTRACT

The observation that a permanently diabetic condition may be induced in dogs by a short period of treatment with anterior pituitary extract [Young, 1937] has been generally confirmed [Campbell and Best, 1938; Houssay and Biasotti, 1938; Dohan and Lukens, 1939; Loubati\l=e`\res, 1939 a, b]. Subsequently it was found that changes in the islets of Langer-hans of the pancreas were demonstrable in those animals in which a permanently diabetic condition had thus been established [Richardson and Young, 1938; Campbell and Best, 1938; Dohan and Lukens, 1939]. In the present paper, which is concerned with investigations on the nature of the metabolism of these diabetic dogs, the term `pituitary-diabetes' will be used to describe the permanently diabetic condition established by such a short period of pituitary treatment, but it must be stressed that there is no intention to imply by the use of this expression that the diabetic condition is one associated with a continued over-activity of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. On the contrary, evidence will be adduced that this condition is not associated with any obvious change in the pituitary function of the diabetic animal. It is necessary, however, to use a term which will clearly distinguish the diabetic condition induced in dogs by pancreatectomy, on the one hand, and by a short treatment with anterior pituitary extract, on the other. The terms 'pancreatic-diabetes ' and 'pituitary-diabetes ' are clearly the most suitable for this purpose, if the particular meanings here attached to them are clear and explicit. During the past two years observations have been made in this labora-tory concerning the metabolism of dogs with pituitary-diabetes, and a number of preliminary observations have been recorded [Young, 1937