For a long time, indeed up to scarcely more than a few decades or so ago, the pineal was believed to have no present function at all, or at least no ascertainable or accessible duty in the body economy.  That it might perhaps be, in a sense, a gland of internal secretion was a despised theory.  Then a classic case, the most extraordinary and curiosity-piquing sort of case, with symptoms involving the pineal gland, in a boy, was reported by the German neurologist, Von Hochwart.  That boy provoked a little army of researches.  He came to the clinic complaining about his eyes and other troubles which pointed pretty definitely to a brain tumor as the diagnosis to pigeon-hole him.  Nothing extraordinary about him in that respect.  But the story told by his parents was quite extraordinary, even to the jaded palate of the clinic professor and his assistants.  They said that he was a little over five years old, a statement conclusively proved correct at his death.  Up to the time at which his illness began, he had been quite normal in size, intelligence and interests.  But with the onset of his misfortune, he had begun to grow, and rapidly until now he looked and corresponded in all measurements to a normal boy of twelve or thirteen.  Hair developed all over his skin, most prominently and abundantly in the typically hairy places of adults.  His voice became low-pitched, and most remarkable of all, his sexuality and mentality precocious.  He became capable of true sexual life and is said to have asked many questions about the fate and condition of the soul after death.  On one occasion he remarked reflectively:  “It is odd how much better I feel when I let other children play with my toys than when I play with them myself.”  Other statements attributed to him imply the most astounding maturity of thought and mental process.  Headaches finally came, and he died about four weeks later.  The cause of the whole bizarre tragedy was found to be a tumor of the pineal gland.

As has happened before in medical history, no sooner was the one prodigy reported, than a score of others of the same ilk sprang into the limelight.  Cases of precocious genital development, especially, some of them occurring as early as the second year of life, were linked with them.  It is an interesting point to be noted that in these, as in those started by an overaction of the adrenal cortex, it is premature masculinity that is stimulated.  The adrenal cortex must be classed as a gland of masculinity.  The pineal possibly acts as a brake upon the adrenal cortex.

Very soon after the report of Von Hochwart’s prodigy appeared, an experimental research on the pineal was begun in New York.  The pineal glands of a number of young bullocks were obtained and used for feeding, to see whether an overaction of the internal secretion could be produced.  Guinea pigs, kittens and rabbits were used.  The experiments covered about two years in time.  Of a dozen small kittens, the subjects outgrew the controls rapidly in activity, size, intelligence, and resistance to intercurrent disease.  Of ten small rabbits, the controls weighed about a third less than the subjects, which were strikingly clean, active, fat and salacious.