Chief Surgeon, Brinkley-Jones Hospital and Training
School for Nurses, Milford, Kansas
(Written October, 1920)
For many years scientists have believed that a part, or all of the glands of the human body influenced longevity. They believed our glands contained the “life spark.” Men for hundreds of years have been seeking the “fountain of youth.” Ponce de Leon when he landed in Florida and saw the beautiful springs and flowers thought he had found it, and so announced to the world. Long ago we learned that the pituitary gland influenced growth and development. For instance if the pituitary gland over-functioned we had Giantism. If it under-functioned the opposite was the result—a dwarf. If the thyroid gland was at fault we would have either the low mentality commonly spoken of as cretinism, or myxedema. We found that by feeding children the fresh gland substance a marked improvement would be obtained and sometimes a cure. Some years ago there was a surgical craze which called for the removal of the women’s ovaries. It was thought that many nervous troubles, including epilepsy, etc., were due to diseased ovaries, so the surgeons removed ovaries just about as promiscuously as tonsils and teeth are now taken out.
After a while they found a woman without ovaries was about ruined, so something had to be done, and ovarian extracts and substances were fed to the unfortunates. Good results were obtained so long as the feeding process kept up, but if the feeding was stopped, the miserable symptoms returned. One factor was always in evidence, that a woman who had no ovaries never menstruated again. Premature change of life (menopause) resulted. Ageing took place early. A loss of interest in the pleasant things of life existed. As a wife or companion for the home the woman was worse than useless. Her life was so miserable that all who came in contact with her were made miserable, also. She was unsexed, and one of the “sparks of life” had been taken away. She assumed characteristics of the male. If the testes of a man are removed he will assume the characteristics of a woman. Many changes will take place. His mind is no longer clear, he tires easily, cannot concentrate upon any subject, and has marked loss of memory and of physical well being. The things that once appealed to him are now undesirable. The opposite sex are repulsive and he shuns their society. A man or woman who suffers the premature loss of their glands of regeneration will become more or less defective mentally and their life will be materially shortened.
At one time a favorite expression was, “A man is as old as his arteries.” We know better than this now. A man is just as old as he feels, when said feeling is directed to his sex organs.
The first sign of old age is impotency, and more men are reaching a premature impotency
than ever before in the history of the world. Their glands are burning up, as it were. After impotency is well on its way arterio-sclerosis or hardening of the arteries is noticed, then the mental inefficiency, as well as physical weakness. Right on the heels of impotency comes prostatitis. I was taught in medical school that nearly all men suffered from an enlarged prostate and prostatitis: that it was one of the diseases of “old age”; that we were heir to it and might expect it to show up after the age of 45. I was also taught that arterio-sclerosis was another disease of old age, and all men were heir to it. However, we are beginning to awaken to a few things. We are approaching the dawn of a new day. We are beginning to understand the whys and wherefores. While I have been criticized and called everything under the sun, except an angel, I expected as much, and I am ready to face the world with my facts; not theories. I have a long and hard fight before me yet.
The cures that I have effected by gland transplantation up to the present time are enough to justify me for all of my work and efforts along this new line of science. Should I never operate again, I feel justly repaid and know that I have started something that will go on and on and live forever. Gland transplantation for the cure of disease within the next ten years will be as common as the removal of a diseased appendix is now. You can hardly pick up a daily paper without reading an account of some surgeon performing a wonderful operation of transplanting bone or tissue from some animal to replace that which was diseased
in the human. Why not borrow what we need from the animal? We use their flesh for food. We also use their gland substances in the fresh or dried form to supply our bodies with whatever we may not possess.
