THE OCCURRENCE OF THE MELANOPHORE HORMONE IN SERUM FROM HUMAN SUBJECTS IN DIFFERENT PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND ITS RELATION TO CORTICOTROPHIN

Abstract

The fundamental investigations of Smith & Allen (1916) and Atwell (1919) showed that the colour changes in cold-blooded animals are caused by the melanophore hormone or intermedin which is formed in the hypophysis. During the following years several investigations were published on the chemistry of the melanophore hormone and its physiology in both cold- og warm-blooded animals. In spite of the fact that the hormone could be demonstrated in large amounts in the hypophysis of most vertebrates it has not been possible to discover the significance of the hormone in warm-blooded organisms. Since a review of these different studies has recently been published in this journal the reader is referred to it (Thing, 1952).