RELATION OF HORMONES TO COSMETICS 221 tion depends its normal state, are 'closely similar and subject to hor- monal influence. The greasy or dry skins of disturbed hormone function and the ache and seborrheas of puberty become understandable evi- dence of this widespread hormonal control of the skin. Moreover, the growth of hair and deepeking of pigment, both skin functions, are definitely under hormonal influence. Of these facts there is no serious question. What seems still a matter of controversy is whether these changes can be obtained by local application. By this we mean that the drug acts directly on the tissue and does not require absorbing into the bloodstream and generalized distribution in which the local site will only get its proportionate share. I may say that at least one sub- stance, namely, the synthetic hor- mone, stilbesterol, is unquestion- ably absorbed rather freely through the unbroken skin as I have per- sonally noted in both animals and man. However, does the applica- tion of stilbesterol to the area over the mammary gland cause this to showgrowth changes other than such as are caused by a blood-borne quota of stilbesterol ? From a purely pharmacological standpoint there is no reason at all to suppose a drug must be blood- borne to act on any tissue, providing it can otherwise be brought ade- quately to that area. This is especially clear when one notes that in only a few places is the blood directly in contact with living tis- sues, an...d .th.e. drugs- must _go to the tissue itself to effect a response. Thus the means whereby a drug is gotten to a tissue fall into groups of convenience, ease, practicability, but not essentia]ity. There is no reasonable doubt at all that the application of, say, stilbes- terol to the relatively unprotected vaginal or nasal mucosa causes a direct effect. There is also no •doubt at all that the drug is readily absorbed through the intact skin and thus can act on this wherever it has functional leverage. The one question yet unsolved is how far will such drugs be able to penetrate be- fore they are picked up by the blood and lymph streams and car- ried away. There seems definite evidence for example of a local effect on the human mammary gland, but whether this involves the deeper parts or not is not, I think, estab- lished. However, from experience with other drugs falling into the fat- soluble group but having a visible action, like phosphorus or oil of mus- tard, very considerable caution is advisable in prophesying or guess- ing how far such an application might penetrate. Both of the named drugs penetrate to consider- able depths, and oil of mustard usu- ally goes deeper than one expects even in therapeutic applications. As a final question one may ask what role are hormones likely to play in the cosmetic future. As I see the problem, cosmetology has largely to do with the biological function of advertising this def- initely falls under the control of certain drugs of the sex-hormone

222 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY type (but I think we cannot safely confine ourselves to them). At the present time the sex hormones clearly offer the most important key to the door of the control room of many functions associated with advertising and, when we can use this key correctly we shall have established the science of functional cosmetology, which fundamentally is the pharmacology of the function of advertising. The present out- look seems to suggest that practical cosmetic controls will be derived OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS from synthetics• for the natural hormones do not act well locally, just as they do not act well by oral administration. I think we may also add that when the cosmetologists have pre- pared scientific cosmetics of this type they will also find a very con- siderable use by the present-day empiricists in the treatment of many skin disorders, for after all a truly healthy skin with good func- tion can hardly be made more beautiful.