The Colorado statesman., 1915-02-20
THE SUPRARENAL GLANDS.

your nalr standing on end, your skin
all goosefiesh, with those peculiar ting
ling thrills of fear running up and
down your spine and all over your
body, and you are conscious that your
heart is pounding like a steam trip
hammer, do not say you are "nerv-
GUS" and place all the blame on your
nerves" For. as a matter of fact,
the condition is quite the reverse and
you are suffering from lack of cerebral
nerve action, rather than too much.
The brain is essentially an inhibitory,
restraining and controlling OF gan.
And exactly in proportion as the brain
is developed and intelligently directed
and controlled SO is fear eliminated
and banished. Permitting the brain
to run wild and around circle tends
to derange the entire economy, as we
shall see. But returning to the fear
mentioned above. Possibly some nerve
impulse beginning in a subconscious
mental or dream action travelled from
the brain down the pneumogastric
nerve, touched off and started into
action the primordial nerve organiZa-
ton; but the actual active manifesto
tions of fear are now known to be due
solely to excitation of the sympathetic
nervous system. And it is conclusive
ly demonstrated that eXcitation of the
sympathetic nervous system results
from a substance manufactured in the
medulla this is to say, in the interior
of the adrenal glands. This substance
is known as adrenalin.
There are three organs in our bodies
which have the epithelial structure of
glands, but are without ducts-the
suprarenal capsules, the thyroid gland
and the pituitary body. 1t is assumed
that these organs obtain from the
blood certain substances which under
go alteration in their epithelial cells,
the product of such conversions being
again returned to the blood.
Since 1891, when jacob described
nerves branching from the splanchnics
(visceral nerves. and Bidl and Dreyer
subsequently demonstrated that cleo
tric stimulation of the splanchnics be-
low the diaphragm produced in the ad-
renal blood an increased amount of
the substance increasing arterial blood
pressure, more and more attention has
been given to the investigation of the
function of the suprarenals.
1t has been demonstrated that there
is present in normal blood substance
which is constantly secreted by the
adrenal bodies and which has marked
stimulating effect upon the tone of
the blood vessels and upon the heart
and perhaps upon the skeletal muscles.
1t is assumed that this internal secre-
ton is essential to the full activity of
the sympathetic self-governing nervous
system, and it's failure or diminution
will be followed by impairment of the
functional activity of the tissues thus
enervated This substance, epinephyr-
in (adrenalin), has been isolated and
injected into animals, the cat, for in
stance, and is found to induce all the
principal emotions characteristic of
discharges along the sympathetic
nerve paths; that is to say, the pupils
dilate. the stomach and intestines are
inhibited, the heart beats rapidly, the
hairs of the back and the tail stand
erect-in short, the cat is frightened.
if more than the normal quantity of
adrenal is introduced into the blood
stream. Also it has been demonstrated
that when adrenalin is injected into
the blood it causes a marked disturb
ance in the carbohydrate metabolism
of the body and sugar appears in the
urine. Following these lines it has
been demonstrated by Cannon and
others that fright and rage increase
adrenalin secretion and that sugar
develops with promptness directly
related to the emotional state of the
cat. In other words, the more excitable
the animal the quicker the sugar ap-
pears.
Great grief, prolonged anxiety, anger
and fright then become important
physiological factors in sympathetic
disturbances and have the power to
derange carbohydrate metabolism and
produce sugar in the urine of an ami
nal. Adrenalin is found to possess
the power to produce results in ex-
ceedingly small quantities; Hoskins
shows muscular contractions in solu-
ton of a strength of one to less than
500, 900 900 parts.
Ine principal uuty VI tne durehal
bodies appears to be to keep the cir
culatory systematic heart and blood
vessels-in proper elastic tone, in this
way enabling the blood to be pumped
through the body in an easy and even
manner.
The adrenals are also demonstrated
to have the power of neutralizing
in some way the poisonous products
resulting from muscular work. The
active substance, adrenalin, extracted
from the medullary part of the supra
renal glands has found many uses in
the hands of the medical profession.
Among these chiefly is its use in
checking nosebleed and hemorrhages