A SEX DIFFERENCE IN INTESTINAL LENGTH AND ITS RELATION TO PITUITARY SIZE

Abstract

Clinical observations have indicated that hyperseeretion of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland is associated with splanchnomegaly. Cunningham, according to Barker (1), reported a case in which the length of the small intestine was doubled. In the human, however, we are quite without data concerning intestinal length in the normal male and female; and, apparently, the weight of the pituitary is available for only four normal men and one woman (2). Here the female pituitary was larger, in the ratio 1.5:1. In rats the pituitary of the female is definitely known to be larger than that of the male. For Albino, the data of Hatai (3) and of Jackson (4) show values of 8.9 and 15.8 mgms. in males and females, respectively. Addison and Adams (5) have further shown that though the female pars nervosa is somewhat larger, the female pars anterior is more than double that of the male. From the wild Norway rat Hatai (6) obtained data from 31 males and 17 females. The body weight of the males was somewhat greater (males, 252 grams; females, 227 grams), but in them the hypophysis averaged smaller (8.0:8.4 mgm.). On the other side of the present problem—that of intestinal length—no measurements are available for the rat.