A man with Nelson's syndrome developed severe associated behavioural and psychiatric problems, which completely resolved following selective resection of his pituitary tumour. It is postulated that ACTH, β-endorphin, or related peptides may have caused these problems.

A case of anorexia nervosa associated with gastric rugal hyperplasia in a 36-year-old male is reported and some speculations are made about the relationship between these two conditions.

Earlier work from this laboratory showed that rheomelanins (blood soluble melanins) form in normal and schizophrenic blood incubated with the catecholamines, with l-dopa, with adrenochrome and with adrenolutin-monohydrate (Hegedus and Altschule (1–4)). This work also showed that the erythrocytes of many patients with a diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia are abnormally susceptible to the haemolytic effects of the rheomelanins or their precursors, formed in their bloods during incubation with most of these chemicals (Hegedus and Altschule (2, 4)). Erythrocytes of the chronic patients showed especially marked haemolysis during incubation of their oxalated blood with adrenochrome, with adrenolutin-monohydrate and with dopamine. A test for routine use was developed on the basis of this phenomenon, and is reported in this paper. The conditions of this routine test were determined as regards quantity of chemicals, time and temperature of incubation, and rate of shaking during incubation so as to give maximum differences between normal and schizophrenic bloods.