STUDIES OF THE ENDOCRINE GLANDS. I. A GENERAL METHOD FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF ABNORMAL FUNCTION

This paper is the first of a series summarizing the results of a study on the diagnosis of endocrine diseases by objective methods. The work was begun in 1912 and in its course nearly 3,000 individuals have been carefully studied by a large group of clinicians and laboratory workers. During the past few years several brief papers have appeared (1) presenting certain preliminary statements on the results of these studies. These have been supplemented by the reports of several clinical investigations based upon the method (2). With the completion of a series of 1,000 cases in which this procedure has been applied,* it has seemed desirable to present the facts thus far elicited with such conclusions as they may be felt to warrant. The present paper, as the title implies, deals with the general technique.