whether one is inherently of a strong, passionate sexual na ture, moderately constituted in this sphere, or subnormal. All of these conditions are subject to various degrees of modification by the countless influences that come into our lives, but none of these can change the inherent type of our personality.
Dr. Llewellyn F. Barker, of Johns Hopkins University, First President of the Association for the Study of Internal Secretions, has summed this thought up in the following words:
"More and more we are forced to realize that the general form and external appearance of the human body depends, to a large extent, upon the functioning, during the early developmental period, of the endocrine glands. Our stature, the kind of face we have, the length of our arms and legs, the shape of the pelvis, the color and consistency of the integument (the skin), the quality and regional location of subcutaneous fat, the tonicity of our muscles, the sound of the voice, the size of the larynx, the emotions to which our exterior gives expression, all are to a certain extent conditioned by the proclivity of our glands of internal secretion."
On account of the importance of the endocrine system, the influence of which we have been describing, it will be desirable to name the principal units, in addition to the sex glands. They are as follows:
Thyroid, located at the frontal base of the neck, astride the windpipe, near the larynx. Its secretion has been named thyroxin. It is particularly concerned with energy production.
Parathyroids, four tiny glands about the size of a wheat grain, situated near the tips of the thyroid. They control the lime metabolism in the body, and influence the excitability of nerve and muscle.
