The Sex Glands

The glands of sex serve a double function: they provide the necessary materials for reproduction of the human being, the male sex cell uniting with the female sex cell; they also provide material which goes directly from the glands into the blood, and which determines the nature of the growth of the body. If the amount of the material secreted by the gland into the blood is insufficient, definite changes will take place in the body inclining towards the female side if the male sex issue is insufficient, and to the masculine side in the woman if the female sex tissue is insufficient.

A deficiency of the male sex material may result from absence or destruction of the gland or from failure to function, in cases where the pituitary gland does not produce the trophic hormone that stimulates the male sex gland. Again, there may be disturbance of the function of the cells ithin the gland, without actual destruction of the tissue.

A deficiency of male glandular material varies in its effects according to the age at which it occurred. If the material is completely absent, the condition called "eunuchism" is developed; this usually refers to a complete loss. When the loss of sexual gland function takes place before the time of maturation into an adolescent, a deficiency is shown in growth. The skin is delicate; the hair that ordinarily covers the surface of the body of the male is absent; there also may be exaggerated length of the arms and legs with broad hips and a tendency towards the development of a "pot belly"; sometimes also the breast of the male will enlarge.

Sex Gland Deficiency

If a deficiency of sex gland hormone takes place after adolescence, the changes include a retardation of the growth of the beard and thinning of the skin with lessened pigmentation, and perhaps also a diminution or complete absence of hair under the arms and around the sex organs. Interestingly there is also a failure to grow hairs on the ear, which is rather typical of men past twenty-five or thirty years of age.

After men have matured and have reached the age of forty-five or fifty, they do not usually suffer the changes that come on in women about the same time and which are known as the "climacteric." The specialists believe that this is due to the fact that the sexual function of men declines gradually, rather than abruptly as occurs with women. The changes that occur in men are not visible in any way in the structure of the body, since this has been well established by the age of forty-five, but are more definitely related to the functions of the body and to symptoms that manifest themselves often in the nervous system.

When there is an absence of sex gland material, as is determined by some of the signs that have been described, administration of the artificially-prepared material is now possible, due to the development of the glandular material called testosterone. The amount of the material to be given and the duration of the time over which it is to be given depends, of course, on the condition of the patient, whom the doctor watches carefully. Actually there may be the growth of pimples, and in the case of women a tendency towards a masculine appearance from too much sex gland material. There are also effects on the handling of salt and water by the body. It has been established that excesses of testosterone, particularly in young boys, may result in difficulty in the development of sperm cells necessary for reproduction.

Excessive Male Sex Gland Action

Excessive production of male sex hormones is observed in men particularly when there are tumors of the male sex glands. Such tumors have been observed by physicians in many cases. Occasionally excessive growth of tissue of the anterior pituitary gland or in other portions of the brain may stimulate the sex glands excessively, so that large amounts of male sex hormones are thrown into the circulation. The manifestations of excessive secretion vary with the time when the condition occurs. If it comes on before the young boy has reached puberty, the excessive gland material may cause puberty to come on much sooner than normally. Associated with this precocious pseudo-puberty is a too-early development of all of the male sex characteristics, including excessive growth of the sex organs, the development of a large amount of hair around the sex organs and under the arms, and, even in little boys, the development of a beard and a mustache, a deep voice and similar conditions. Physicians have observed that excessive amounts of male sex gland material will cause increased secretion of the oil glands in the skin, and associated acne is not uncommon. There may often also be changes in the growth of the skeleton. In this instance, the trunk, the arms and legs are found to be short due to too-early closure of the points from which the bones grow. Associated also with these developments may be excessive and definitely increased muscular development and strength; the so-called "infant Hercules."

If the excessive secretion of glandular material comes on after the body has passed puberty, the condition manifests itself by accentuation of the masculine character. Obviously, the skeleton has already developed so that there cannot be effects on the skeleton.

The only known treatment for excessive activity is removal of the tumor which is responsible. Removal of portions of the tumor or of all of the tumor would naturally result in lessening the amount of sex gland material. This can be measured by chemical study so that the return to normal can be definitely known. If, however, the tumor material should return and grow again, the excess of glandular secretion can be determined through examination of the urine. In this way the physician can trace the progress of the tumor growth.

Fortunately tumors of the male sex gland are relatively rare. Doctors believe that these tumors occur more often when there has been failure of the male sex gland to descend into the sac, which it normally does before ten or eleven years of age, if not sooner. Experience has shown that the best thing to do whenever there is any tumor of this area is to have it removed by surgery as soon as possible. If the tumor is not a malignant tumor, it is in any event a threat. If, however, it is a malignant tumor, the growth quite certainly threatens life itself. In fact, so definitely is that threat known that it has become customary to use the X-ray to irradiate the area from which the tumor has been removed, to make certain that all excessive action has been stopped.

If the male sex gland is retained and fails to descend into the sac, its function may be destroyed by the heat to which it is subjected in the body.

Failure of sexual gland function causes psychosexual changes in the males, including loss of initiative and drive. Some psychiatrists feel this effect is wholly mental and results from a feeling of inferiority because the person knows of his deficiency.

Sexual precocity associated with excess of testosterone or androsterone has also been noted with adrenal and pituitary gland tumors.