ANTERIOR LOBE PITUITARY EXTRACT IN THE TREATMENT OF ALOPECIA

Abstract

Following Bengtson's¹ preliminary report on the use of anterior lobe pituitary extract in the treatment of alopecia areata, in which he stated that the extract seems to be of some value in the treatment of seborrheic alopecia, he mentioned, a few weeks later, in a short letter to the editor of The Journal of the American Medical Association² that not only had he been deluged with inquiries from reputable physicians but that numerous charlatans claimed to have worked with him and apparently were utilizing the drug; a number of these had announced fantastic results from its employment. For the few persons, comparatively speaking, who communicated with Dr. Bengtson, there must have been thousands who made use of the hormone preparation without doing so, particularly when one considers the tremendous number of quack hair restoring concerns scattered throughout the country. In the October, 1932, issue of the Virginia Medical