Chapter VIII 

 ADRENALECTOMY 



Extirpation of the adrenals of experimental animals has been 

 performed by a host of workers since Brown-Sequard's 96 

 pioneer researches in this field in 1856. Until recently, ob- 

 servation of adrenalectomized animals was the chief approach 

 to an experimental study of adrenal function. The operation 

 is essential for most studies on the glands and we shall, there- 

 fore, describe in some detail the general features of the opera- 

 tion as performed on various classes of vertebrate animals. 



Inspired by Addison's 7 description of a disease involving the 

 adrenal glands, Brown-Sequard 97 undertook to reproduce the 

 disease in the lower animals by extirpating the glands in rab- 

 bits, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and rats. The fatal outcome of 

 his operations (within a few hours to two days) led him to con- 

 clude that the adrenals were indispensable for fife. Gratiolet 238 

 repeating these experiments found that even unilateral ad- 

 renalectomy in the guinea pig was fatal due to post-operative 

 peritonitis and he therefore concluded that the outcome was 

 primarily induced by injury to the viscera and only secondarily 

 by the deprivation of the adrenals. Philipeaux and Harley 198 

 also reported that adrenalectomy was not fatal to the rat if 

 the operation were performed in stages. 



In 1891 Abelous and Langlois 3 verified Brown-S6quard's 

 conclusion as to the vital importance of the adrenals for life. 

 Hultgren and Anderson 323 found that unilateral adrenalectomy 

 was tolerated by the cat but that bilateral operation was fatal 

 in 5 days when the glands were removed in two stages, but in 

 only three days if removed at one operation. In rabbits, too, 

 adrenalectomy was followed by death in 5 or 6 days, survival 

 being prolonged by previous castration. 



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