Part I—At Fifteen...1. What hormonal problem could be causing these symptoms?

2. Why would joint damage be associated with rapid growth and low testosterone levels?

Part II—At Twenty-Five...1. Should Dr. Kidd tell Eric that he is probably sterile?

Why would he be sterile?

2. Is there anything that they could try to do to stimulate spermatogenesis? Why is the absence of facial hair important?

Part III—At Twenty-Eight...1. Why was he growing facial hair?

2. Why did he need jaw surgery?

Part IV—At Forty-Five...1. Why are his kidneys so active at night? Note: diabetes insipidus is NOT diabetes mellitus, so the answer is not high blood sugar levels or an insulin deficiency. Diabetes merely means high urine production. Look for a specific hormonal problem involving the pituitary.

2. It also turns out that he has unpredictable shock responses, so that a small cut needing three stitches left him pale and in shock while breaking his left wrist in at least 15 places did not. What hormone could be involved?

3. If the pituitary is so important, and if Eric is not getting replacements of hormones the pituitary makes (except for ADH), why isn’t he dead? To answer this question, think through the cascade of events from hypothalamus to effect