EFFECT OF GROWTH HORMONE ON GROWTH IN HYPOPHYSECTOMIZED-PANCREATECTOMIZEDRATS

IT IS well known that growth is retarded in animals deprived of either insulin (pancreatectomy) or growth hormone (hypophysectomy). The relationship between these two hormones in growth is not clearly understood. It has been found that insulin, which can cause some nitrogen retention in the absence of growth hormone (1, 2, 3), is necessary for the anabolic action of the growth hormone (1, 2, 4). Since extra amounts of insulin are needed for the maximal response to growth hormone in cats and dogs (1, 2, 4), it has been suggested that growth hormone exerts some, if not all, of its growth promoting effect by stimulating the secretion of insulin (5). This paper presents a study of the effect of growth hormone in rats deprived of the pituitary gland and at least 99.5% of the pancreas. Small amounts of insulin were necessary for the control of diabetes in these rats. In contrast to the findings