NORMALS, GROSS SIZES 



236 



NORMALS, GROSS SIZES 



of the normal structure of the cells, 

 tissues and organs of the body for other- 

 wise their conclusions based on well 

 controlled experiments on animals and 

 the microscopic observation of parts 

 of the human body in health and disease 

 will be in jeopardy. And they must 

 have a good idea where in the literature 

 they can quickly find helpful accounts 

 of what little has been determined ac- 

 curately of gross and microscopic 

 normality. It is safe to say that no 

 human bodj' is at any time normal, or 

 usual, throughout its extent, because 

 is is a far too complex organization of 

 multifunctional interlocking mecha- 

 nisms for uniformity in this respect. 

 Health is not synonymous with an all 

 pervading normality. It is merely a 

 state in which no particular normality 

 is lost to a conspicuously detrimental 

 degree. 

 Normals, Gross Sizes. What these are is 

 only known in a very hazy way. Yet 

 if the size of an organ is distinctly ab- 

 normal this fact must clearly be taken 

 into consideration in evaluating the 

 results of its microscopic study. The 

 best way is to search for papers dealing 

 with the organ in which one is interested 

 in the Quart. Cum. Index Med. The 

 older data are summarized by Vierordt, 

 H., Anatomische Physiologische una 

 Physikalische Daten und Tabellen. 

 Jena: Fischer, 1906, 616 pp. A sum- 

 mary of measurements on infants and 

 children is provided by R. E. Scammon 

 in Abt's Pediatrics, Philadelphia: 

 Saunders, 1923, 1, 257-444. See also 

 Coppoletta, J. M. and Wolbach, S. B., 

 Am. J. Path., 1933, 9, 55-70. Useful 

 quantitative data on the endocrines are 

 supplied by R. Pearl and his associates 

 in Human Biology, 1935, 7, 350-391, 555- 

 607; 1936, 8, 92-125; 1937, 9, 245-250. 

 For spleen and thymus see Krumbhaar, 

 E. B., Cowdry's Problems of Ageing. 

 Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1942, 

 139-184. There is a wide range in indi- 

 vidual variation. Size may be greater 

 or smaller than the normal or usual 

 without being indicative of disease. 

 Stitt, E. R., Clough, P. W. and M. C., 

 Practical Bacteriology, Haematology 

 and Animal Parasitology. Phila- 

 delphia: Blakiston, 1938, 961 pp. give 

 these approximate measurements (ab- 

 breviated) : 



Adrenals— Length, 6-7 cm.; breadth, 

 3-3.5 cm. ; weight, 5-6 gms. each. 



Aorta — Length, 42.5-50 cm.: thick- 

 ness of wall, 1.5-2 mm.; diameter, 

 1.7-3 cm. ; weight, 35-45 gms. 



Appendix— Length, 9-10 cm.; diameter, 

 6 mm.; weight, 7-14 gm., quite 

 variable. 



Bladder — Capacity, 500 cc. when nor- 

 mally distended; thickness of wall, 

 2.5 mm. ; weight, 30-60 grams. 



Brain— Weight, female, 1250-1275 gms.; 

 male, 1365-1450 gms.; length, 16.5 

 cm.; transverse diameter, 14 cm.; 

 vertical diameter, 12.7 cm.; dimen- 

 sions in female being 1 cm. less. 



Fallopian tubes — Length, 7.6-12.6 cm., 

 the right usually the longer ; diameter 

 of lumen averages 2.5 mm. 



Gall bladder — Length, 7.5-10 cm. ; diam- 

 eter, 2.5-3 cm.; thickness of wall, 

 1-2 mm. ; capacitv, 30-45 cc. 



Heart— Weight, feLoale, 250-280 gms., 

 male, 270-360 gms.; length, 11.5-14 

 cm.; breadth, 7.5-10 cm.; thickness, 

 5-8 cm. ; thickness, wall left ventricle, 

 9-12 mm., right ventricle, 2.5-3 mm. ; 

 circumference, mitral orifice, 10.4- 

 10.9 cm. ; circumference, tricuspid 

 orifice, 12-12.7 cm. ; circumference, 

 aortic orifice, 7.7-8 cm. ; circumference, 

 pulmonary orifice, 8.5-9 cm. 



Intestines — Small intestine, length, 

 6.75 meters, 2/5 jejunum and 3/5 

 ileum; diameter from 47 mm. in 

 duodenum to 27 mm. at the end of 

 ileum. Large intestine, length, 180- 

 195 cm.; duodenum, length, 26-28.5 

 cm. 



Kidneys — Weight, left, 150 gms., right, 

 140 gms.; thickness of cortex, 1 cm.; 

 length, 11.5 cm.; breadth, 6.2 cm.; 

 thickness, 3.2 cm. ; the left longer and 

 the right thicker. 



Liver — Weight, 1440-1680 gms. ; greatest 

 transverse diameter, 20-24 cm., great- 

 est antero-posterior diameter, 10-15 

 cm., vertical diameter, 12.7-15 cm. 



Lungs— Weight, combined, 1020-1290 

 gms.; weight, male, right lung, 680 

 gms., left lung, 600 gms.; weight, 

 female, right lung, 480 gms., left lung, 

 420 gms.; length, 26-30 cm.; antero- 

 posterior diameter at base, 17.5-20 

 cm.; transverse diameter at base, 

 10-12.7 cm.; right lung is shorter, 

 broader and thicker than the left; 

 dimensions in female average 2.5 cm. 

 less. 



Mammary gland — Weight in adult, 150- 

 200 gms.; weight during lactation, 

 400-900 gms. 



Oesophagus — Length, 25-30 cm.; diam- 

 eter of lumen, 3 cm.; thickness of 

 wall, 8 mm. ; weight, 40 gms. 



Ovaries — Weight (each). 4-8 gms., 

 length, 3.8 cm.; breadth, 1.9 cm.; 

 thickness, 1.2 cm. 



Pancreas — Weight, quite variable, 60- 

 135 gms. ; length varies, average 15- 

 20 cm. 



Parathyroids — Length, 6-7 mm.; 

 breadth, 3-4 mm.; thickness, 1.5-2 

 mm. 



