The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1915-02-19
THE sUPRARENAL GLANDS,


your hair standing on end your skin
all goosehesh, with those peculiar ting
ling thrills of fear running up hnd
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 merry
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,
a restraining and controlling organ.
And exactly in proportion as the brain |
is developed and inteligently directed
and controlled so is fear eliminated
and banished. Permitting the brain
to run wild and around a 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 pnsumogastric
nerve, touched off and started into
action the primordial nerve organiza-
ton; but the actual active manifesto
lions of fear are now known to be due
solely to excitation of the sympathetic
nervous system. And 1t Is conclusive
ly demonstrated that excitation Of the
sympathetic nervous system results
from 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
20 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
(yisceral nerves. and Bid and Dreyer
subsequently demonstrated that cleo
trio stimulation of the splanchnics be-
| low the diaphragm produced in the ad-
renal blood an increased amount OF
the substance increasing arterial blood
preseurxmore and more attention mas
-, In 60 tho inyestisation OF the
funclcssf the suprarenals.
Itiias been demonstrated that there
| is present in normal blood a substance
which is constantly secreted by the
adrenal bodies and which has marked
stimulating effect upon the tone o.
the blood vessels and upon the hear
and perhaps upon the skeletal muscles
It is assumed that this internal secre
ton is essential to the full activity o
the sympathetic self-governing nervous
system, and it's failure or diminutiol
will be followed by impairment OF tn
functional activity of the tissues thu
enervated This substance, epinephyl
in (adrenalin), has been isolated an
injected into animals, the cat, for II
stance, and Is found to induce all tn
principal emotions characteristic {
discharges along the sympathetl
nerve paths; that is to say, the pupil
dilate the stomach and intestines ar
inhibited, the heart beats rapidly, tn
hairs Of the back and the tall stan
erect-in short, the cat is frightened
II more than the normal quantity
adrenal is introduced into the bloo
stream. Also it has been demonstrate
that when adrenalin is injected mi
the blood 1t causes a marked distur
ance In the carbohydrate metabollsl
of the body and sugar appears In tn
urine. Following these lines 1t ne
been demonstrated by Cannon al
others that fright and rage increas
adrenalin secretion and that sug'
develops with promptness direct
related to the emotional state OF Il
cat In other words, the more excitao
! the animal the quicker the sugar a
pears.
:, Great grief, prolonged anxiety, ang
:, and fright then become importa
physiological factors in sympathe'
disturbances and have the power
derange carbohydrate metabolism a
produce sugar in the urine OF an q
; NAL Adrenalin is found to posse
the power to produce results IN
ceedingly small quantities; Hoski
shows muscular contractions In so
. ton Of a strength Of one to less tn
= 5OOOOO.OOO parts.
= The principal duty of the adreI
q bodies appears to be to keep the
,. culatory systematic heart and bio
y vessels-in proper elastic tone, IN Il
way enabling the blood to be pump
q through the body in an easy and eV
!. manner
The adrenals are also demonstra'
Il to have the power Of neutraliz
?. IN some way the poisonous produ
r resulting from muscular work. I
!. active substance, adrena!in, extrac
q from the medullary part OF tho sur
Il renal glands has found many uses
IS the hands of the medical protest.
IL Among these chiefly 10 its use
10 checking nosebleed and hemorrha