Abstract
THE importance of the region of the brain near the pituitary gland has been recognized with increasing clearness in recent years, and a review of modern knowledge of the hypothalamus is therefore welcome. The book consists of an amplification of the Henderson Trust Lectures which were delivered in Edinburgh in October 1936 by the four authors. Prof. Le Gros Clark's section gives a detailed account of the development and anatomy of the hypothalamus in mammals, with a special section on man and smaller sections on reptiles, amphibians and fishes. Dr. Beattie discusses the physiological evidence which has led to the conclusions that the hypothalamus controls sleep, the pituitary and the reactions of the body to heat and cold, and that the anterior portion controls the parasympathetic system and the posterior portion the sympathetic system. Dr. George Riddoch discusses the pathology of the region and Mr. Norman Dott describes four cases in which he removed tumours. Both of them independently describe the clinical symptoms and signs associated with hypothalamic disease the hunger and the thirst, the obesity and the cachexia, and the disturbances of sleep, sex, temperature, and the stomach.
The Hypothalamus:
Morphological, Functional, Clinical and Surgical Aspects. By Dr. W. Le Gros Clark, Dr. John Beattie, Dr. George Riddoch and Norman M. Dott. (The Henderson Trust Lectures, Nos. 13-16). Pp. xii + 212. (Edinburgh and London: Oliver and Boyd, 1938.) 12s. 6d. net.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
The Hypothalamus. Nature 142, 595 (1938). https://doi.org/10.1038/142595c0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/142595c0