OR'GANOTHER'APY (from ftk. ipyapnr, or fmnon, ?rgan Orpo7tia, thf rupcia, attendance, medical treatment, from fItpa7.ti.Etr, Merapcnein, to attend. treat I. The use of :inimal glands, or extract, made from them, as medicines. ln his limited:in lecture for 1 90•2 in London. Davie, claims that the use of animal remedial prepara tions dates from it.c. 1500. An enormous num ber of of extracts from the human lu)(ly and from animals is mentioned by William Salmon. in work published in D177. Modern organotherapy, however, dates front the lectures of Brown-S(apiard in 1569. Ile advaneed the hypothesis. "all glands of the body, whether they are excretory canal, or not, give to the blood useful principles, the absenec of which is felt when the glands are extirpated or destroyed by disease." Peeent experiments confirm this view. and substantiate the claim of Brown-SC-quard (q.v.). Beside, spermatozoa, the testicles secrete a fluid which when absorbed into the system acts as a nerve stimulant and tonic. Brown-Siluard's 'elixir' is an extract of lambs' testicles. When administered hypodermically it produces an in crease of 11:emoglobin, an improvement in the cardiac force. exaltation of the vascular tone. and greater mental activity. Extravagant hope, were indulged by Brow it-SCquard. and by some of his for testicular extract ; and as the claims made were little short of ridiculous, his reputation ,11ffered somewhat during the last years of his life. The extract has been employed. however, with varying results in hysteria, neu rasthenia. locomotor ataxia, scurvy, marasmus, tuberculosis, epilepsy, and insanity. The active principle of this extract, spermin, is a leuco maine, and hence promotes oxidation in the body, probably relieving the nervous system to a cer tain extent of the results of auto-intoxication. Testicular extracts are variously termed spermin, testaden. didymins testine. testidin. testin. or ehidin, etc. Like all the animal medicinal prod ucts. testicular extract is prepared in powder and in liquid form. Ovarian extract is similar, though less powerful. It has been used in amenorrhtea following atrophy of the genitals. or after partial or entire extirpation of the ovaries, or during the menopause. it must be used with great caution. It is variously called ovadin, ovaraden, oifphorin, and ovulin. Thyroid extract is the most useful of all these preparations and is of distinct and definite value and causes no uncertain effects. It is prepared from the thyroid glands of sheep. It has been very successfully employed in psoriasis, eczema, lupus, sporadic cretinism, goitre, myx.edema, uterine fibroma, and obesity. It is named thy reoid in, thyroproteid, iodothyrin, thyraden, etc.
Thymus extract, prepared from the thymus glands of young sheep or pigs, has been success- I fully used in exoplithalmie goitre and most of the emalition, that are benefited by thyroid extract.
except obesity. Suprarenal extract is prepared from the suprarenal nor adrenal) glands. it has ' been moderately successful in Addison's disease, diabetes insipidus, and neurasthenia. In certain other conditions brilliant results have followed its use. It is a valuable vaso-constrietor and cardiac tonic, and it has some value in certain heart diseases. When applied locally it is a powerful astringent, and its most important use i, ill checking hemorrhage, accomplishing tins result whether administered internally or applied locally. it is called supradin or suprarenaden, and a Maid extract of the suprarenals is termed opu-suprarenalin. A specially active prepara tion of the capsules male by Dr. Fraenkel is called sphygmogenia. The active principle of the capsules has been extracted by Takamine, by whom it has been named adrenalin. This prepa ration appears to be the most reliable and Of 1110-A even strength of the preparations of the gland, on the market. An extract prepared from the pituitary of the sheep has been used in a few instances by Marinesco, who claims success in the treatment of acrnmegaly (q.v.) with this agent. Preparation; of the pro-tate gland of the • hull have been used in eases of hypertrophy of rho prostate in man. In dry form this extract is termed prostata. It is little known.
The term organotherapy has been expanded to include the use of extracts prepared from vari ous organs of the body, as well as the glands mentioned, in aequiesenee with the extension by YArsonval of Brown-S6quard*s hypothesis, as stated. While this use of the term is as de plorable as the ideas of D'Arsonval, for con venience sake it must he adopted. We find, therefore, extracts of the brain (eerebrin) recom mended in neurasthenia, chorea, various psy chose., and conditions in which agoraphobia is present (see INsaxrri) ; extracts of the kidney genes, opo-renin, suceus renalis) recommended in nephritis: spleen extract (linadm, nuelein, eurythol, neueleobiston) recommended in the treatment of anamia, myxcedema, rickets, en larged spleen, typhoid fever, goitre. leucoeythie 'ilia, and Hodgkin's disease; as well as museuline, extracted from time muscle of the ox; mamma, extracted from the udder of the cow; and pub monin, extracted from the lungs of calves. 3Iost of these extracts from organs are apparently in ert, some are useless. Nuelein alone seems really valuable. To the list should be added bone-mar row extract, which is a valuable preparation of the red marrow of bones, and chiefly made from the ribs and femur heads of calves. It is very sueeessful in the treatment of anaemia and chlorosis.