Item Details
The Pituitary Body and Its Disorders, Clinical States Produced by Disorders of The Hypophysis Cerebri.
1912. First Edition. Hardcover. "An amplification of the Harvey Lecture for December, 1910."
"The first clinical monograph on the hypophysis. Cushing, outstanding neurological surgeon added much to our knowledge of the pituitary body and its disorders He assumed that in diabetes insipidus the pituitary was involved This landmark in endocrinology also includes Cushing's pioneering method of operating on tumours of the pituitary."
"The book is profusely illustrated (319 figures), and since changes in facial contours constituted an important part of the story he wished to present, photographs of many of his cases are included. Those showing the development of acromegaly in individual cases have become classic and have subsequently been reproduced in many textbooks of endocrinology, physiology, and clinical medicine." "The monograph stands as a milestone in American medicine, and more particularly in the history of endocrinology, for it introduced a clinical concept of endocrine function which did much to clarify." One cannot dismiss the pituitary monograph without brief mention of Cushing's surgical contribution for, until his work appeared, there were few in the surgical world who had the courage to tackle a pituitary operation. After Cushing had shown the way the operation became something of a routine affair which many soon began to undertake. In Cushing's first case the pituitary was approached through the frontal sinuses; but such an approach has two disavantages - the first being that the frontal sinuses are often infected and meningitis may follow when the cranial cavity is entered through them; the other, that it leaves a cyclopean scar, distasteful especially to women. Cushing found that the pituitary could also be approached satisfactorily by elevating the upper lip and approaching the sphenoidal bone by a submucous dissection of the nasal mucous membrane. This largely removed the hazard of infection (1912 !) and it had the great advantage of leaving no visible scar. In current parlance this operation has come to be known as Cushing's transsphenoidal approach. In cases of marked intracranial extension of the pituitary tumor a more formidable surgical procedure is necessitated, involving a large bone flap similar to that employed for any other brain tumor." Very Good. Minor shelf/edge wear, small lightening spot at rear with related surface material (?wax?), touch of foxing at preliminaries, else tight, bright, and unmarred. Red cloth boards, frontispiece, fold-out plates. 8vo. 341pp. Illus. (color and b/w plates). Item #10035
Price: $650.00