168 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Minute Structure of Lang-erhans's Islets. — S. Saguchi {Anier. 

 Journ. Anat., 1920, 28, 1-57, 6 pis., 4 figs.). An account of the 

 different types of islet cells, their nuclei, granules, mitochondria, lipoid 

 corpuscles, the urano-argentophile apparatus, pigment granules, division, 

 development, and distribution in the pancreas. There is a transforma- 

 tion of the acinus cell into the islet cell, whereby not only the cell-body 

 and the nucleus change shape and position, but the intra-cytoplasmic 

 structures also undergo a series of definite alterations. There is also a 

 transformation of islet cells into acinus cells. The theory that the islet 

 is an organ for internal secretion, giving certain substances to the blood- 

 stream, is the most probable theory as to function. Most of the islet 

 cells are, at one or both ends, in contact with distended capillaries, and 

 the islets have no lumina that are continuous with the pancreatic duct. 

 The lipoid corpuscles and urano-argentophile apparatus must be looked 

 upon as specific secreted matter of the islet, and it is probable that, 

 after having undergone a certain chemical alteration, these constituents 

 pass into the blood-capillary. J. A. T. 



Smooth Muscle Fibres of Central Suprarenal Vein. ^ Jean 

 Peindarie {Comptes Rendus Soc. Biol., 1920, 83, 958-60). From the 

 enveloping capsule of the suprarenal body, as Stilling has shown, delicate 

 bundles of muscular fibres spread into the connective partitions of the 

 glandular stroma, and act on the capillaries and parenchyme cells. The 

 secretion is thus passed into the central collecting vein. This has a 

 remarkably developed system of smooth muscle fibres, sometimes regarded 

 as indicative of endophlebitis. A careful description is given of what 

 Peindarie regards as quite normal. The experiments of Stewart and 

 Kogoff show that animals without a suprarenal body react like the 

 others to psychical stimuli, the phenomena being vaso-motor. GMandular 

 hyper-secretion may not be the primary cause of the immediate change 

 following emotion ; what happens may be due to the compression and 

 emptyins: of the collecting vein by the powerful musculature in the 

 walls. ^ J. A. T. 



Musculature of Central Veins of the Suprarenal Body in Man. — 

 G. DuBREUiL {GompUs Rendus Soc. Biol, 1920, 83, 1096-8, 1 fig.). 

 The striking development of smooth muscle around these veins as 

 described by Peindarie is confirmed. It is not found in sheep, rat, 

 or rabbit. In man the musculature is nne(|ually developed on diiferent 

 sides of the vessel. The fibres are seen only on the large branches. 

 Most are longitudinally disposed, but some are oblique, so that a plexi- 

 form distribution results. J. A. T. 



Minute Structure of Human Lung^. — Ch. Ogawa {Amer. Journ. 

 Anat., 1920, 27, 315-32, 8 figs.). The alveolar ducts divide two to nine 

 times to reach the air-sacs, at various angles from wide to acute, showing 

 both monopodial and dichotomous ramification. Diverging planes of 

 alveolar ducts frequently cross each other. The alveolar ducts branch in 

 frequent succession ; the decrease in diameter is not marked. The 

 mouths of the alveolar ducts consist of alveolar septa, but usually the 

 mouths are enclosed partially by the wall of the alveolar duct itself. The 



