In Defence of the Monkey-Gland

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 376, 9 June 1928, Page 26

In Defence of the Monkey-Gland

AN INGE'S condemns tion of Voronoff's claim to rejuvenate worn human beings with monkey glands brought a swift defence of the f treatment from the professor, who says that, among others, he has performed the gland operation upon three priests, one of whom ordered a special Mass in appreciation. Thus the clergy of one great Church at least do not consider “it is monstrous that this man's claims to be able to extend life by the inter-asso-ciation of apes and human beings should be listened to.” Last week there was a prelude to Dean Inge’s religious indictment of Professor Voronoff, when a Harley Street specialist Apparently they are all “specialists” in Harley Street — whoever heard of an ordinary “doctor” there?) condemned the gland operation as dangerous. Perhaps that was what gave Dean Inge his inspiration to declare that Voronoff’s theories were revolting to all pureminded people. But another specialist comes forward. He is a Macquarie Street (Sydney) specialist, and he is a firm believer in the gland theory, which he experimented with over 20 ye Eft's ago —before Professor Voronoff started experimenting with monkeys. The Harley Street specialist was reported to have said that an implanted monkey gland would imbue the recipient with Simian qualities. “Rubbish!” was the comment of the Sydney specialist. “He must have been recalling the comic story of the elderly, rejuvenated gentleman swinging from the window-curtains and eating coconuts. “Over 20 years ago I performed a gland-transplantation on a Sydney woman-patient with complete success. The gland was

taken from a ewe. The patient made a wonderful recovery of mental and physical health. “She did not develop any animal characteristics, for the simple reason

that the active gland-principles of all higher animals are of exactly identical chemical composition. “It does not matter whether they are grafted or administered as extracts. “To-day a very large number of patients are being kept in health by thyroid extract (in daily doses) obtained from sheep. They have not become sheeplike, but on the contrary, brightened from idiocy to mental smartness.” As a corollary, Mrs. Hill, the very

first patient on record to get sheep’s thyroid when she was, at 42, hopelessly Idiotic, recovered sanity, and lived for 28 years afterwards—a typical normal human being. At her death in 1919 she had consumed the glands of 870 sheep. A monkey-gland is even less “foreign” than that of the sheep or cattle to human beings. When grafted it is slowly absorbed, its good influence lasting for three years or so. “The danger of gland-grafts,” concluded the expert, “is rather that, if successful, the rejuvenated patient attempts to live a life that would quickly kill a young person in best health.

“One of Voronoff’s 'successes’ drank himself to death in a year or so, evidently thinking the graft made him immortal.”