THE HISTORY OF ADRENALIN 



By S. C. BRADFORD, B.Sc. 



The Science Museum, South Kensington 



* 



The story of the discovery of the function of the suprarenal 

 capsules, followed by the isolation of the active principle of 

 their secretion, the determination of its structure, and its sub- 

 sequent synthesis, forms one of the most fascinating chapters 

 in the history of bio-chemistry. 



The suprarenal capsules are two epithelial flattened bodies 

 situated above the kidneys, each weighing about 4 grammes. 

 Although known from early times, no suspicion was entertained 

 of the important role which they play in the life of the individual, 

 until experimental investigation of these glandular organs 

 was initiated by the work of Addison published in 1855. He 

 described a form of disease which is nearly always fatal, and is 

 characterised by progressive anaemia, weakness of heart-beat, 

 irritability of stomach, and general want of tone of the nervous 

 and muscular system, together with abnormal brown patches 

 on the skin, from which latter symptom he gave it the name 

 " bronzed skin." As the result of extensive research Addison 

 discovered profound alterations of various kinds in the 

 suprarenal capsules of almost every one who had died of this 

 disease. Following Addison's lead Brown-Sequard made a 

 series of experiments on animals in 1856, and came to the 

 conclusion that the suprarenal capsules were organs indispens- 

 able to life, and that their destruction was invariably followed 

 by death. This view, however, aroused opposition, and the 

 subject remained a matter of controversy until recently, when 

 Brown-Sequard's results have been fully confirmed and extended. 



In 1 891-2 Abelous and Langlois inferred that death from 

 removal of the suprarenals is due to the accumulation in the 

 blood of some toxic substance. It had been shown in 1 890-1 

 by Marino-Zuco and Dutto that the suprarenal capsules normally 

 contain a considerable amount of neurine, and that persons 



67 



