64 ANATOMY 



12 week-old male and female mice, showing the presence of 

 the androgenic zone in the latter. In Figure 9 are shown the 

 histological appearances of the androgenic zone in the mouse, 

 showing the manner of its involution and its ultimate replace- 

 ment by a band of connective tissue. 



The androgenic zone of the mouse is characterized histologi- 

 cally by its being more deeply stained by Hemotoxylin-Eosin 

 than is the adjacent true cortical tissue of the zona fasiculata. 

 It also does not stain with Sudan due to the absence of the 

 doubly refracting lipids which are characteristic of the perma- 

 nent cortical tissue. In shape, the cells of the androgenic 

 zone are superficially like those of the fasiculata except that 

 they are smaller and at the boundary of the fasiculata they 

 are elongated and flattened. After its degeneration, this zone 

 assumes the appearance of alveolar connective tissue which re- 

 places the previously existent glandular tissue. 153, 318 - 673 



The above anatomical considerations would not in themselves 

 characterize the androgenic zone as a specific tissue from the 

 standpoint of its functional capacity in the body. Obviously 

 the different staining reactions and cell shapes might be mere 

 morphological deviations independent of any functional sig- 

 nificance. It is in this respect that the anatomical methods 

 manifest their limited value. However, the changes occurring 

 in the androgenic tissue indicate the abolition of a function 

 previously fulfilled by the androgenic zone. 



Failure to appreciate the true nature of the androgenic zone 

 in mice has led to several flagrant misinterpretations of experi- 

 mental observations. Thus the observations of Cramer 134 and 

 his conception of the role played by epinephrine under various 

 conditions are vitiated by his failure to note the transient exist- 

 ence of the androgenic zone in mice. 319 - 671 



ANDROGENIC ZONE IN OTHER ANIMALS 



Attempts have been made to find the involution characteris- 

 tic of the human and mouse adrenal in other animal species. 



