EFFECTS ON THE SUPRARENAL GLANDS 423 



Cortex and Fat Content. — As already mentioned, during human inanition 

 or malnutrition in adults a decrease of cortical lipoids was claimed by Orth 

 ('93), Beneke ('94), Stilling ('98), Hermann ('05) and Babes and Jonesco ('08); 

 but denied by Napp ('05), Kawamura ('11) and Landau ('13). In athreptic 

 infants, a decrease in cortical lipoids was claimed by Lucien ('08, '08a), Mattei 

 ('14) and Marfan ('21). As a result of animal feeding experiments, Ewald ('02) 

 concluded that the fat content of the suprarenal gland is independent of the 

 (transient) stages of digestion, but is in general proportional to the general 

 nutritive condition of the individual. Controls were full fed on mixed diet, 

 while test rabbits were placed on water only for 5 or 6 days; mice similarly 3 

 or 4 days. Unless starved to death, the animals were then killed, and the fat 

 content of the suprarenal cortex was found greatly reduced in amount by 

 inanition. 



On the other hand, Federici ('03) found no manifest decrease in the supra- 

 renal cortical fat in a guinea pig starved to death by progressive underfeeding 

 for 15 or 20 days; and Konstantinovitsch ('03) stated that the abundant cortical 

 fat is retained in starving rabbits, guinea pigs and mice. Traina ('04) by a 

 careful study with modern fat stains (osmic, sudan III and scarlet red) in 

 fasting rabbits, young and adult, found a decrease in size of the cells in the 

 suprarenal cortex, but no decrease in their fat content, which belongs to the 

 "sessile" or "permanent" variety. Bonnamour ('05, '05a) even claimed a 

 considerable increase in the amount of cortical fat (especially in the glomerular 

 and, reticular zones) in the starving rat, guinea pig, cat and rabbit. A different 

 result appeared in hibernation (to be mentioned later). 



Beeli ('08) found some atrophy in the cells of the suprarenal cortex in cats 

 subjected to various degrees of starvation, but no change in the fat content. 

 The nuclei also decreased in diameter, as shown by the distribution table. 

 The mode in the normal cat was 6.3-7.0/z; at death from starvation, 4.2- 

 4.9/x. The cells and nuclei in the medulla were less affected. 



In agreement with Ewald (and most of the earlier investigations on the 

 human suprarenal), Babes and Jonesco ('08), however, maintained that there is 

 a diminution and displacement of the cortical fat in man and animals in various 

 conditions of inanition. "Dans la mort par inanition, il y a sans doute une 

 certaine diminution de la graisse chez le lapin, la graisse etant un peu plus dans 

 ces cas, dans la partie superficielle de la couche trabeculaire." 



Ciaccio ('10) found certain " siderophile " cells of the suprarenal cortex in 

 the hedgehog and dormouse increased in number after 5 or 6 days of inanition. 

 The cortical lipoids were also abundant, in contrast with the condition after 

 hibernation (to be mentioned later). 



Landau ('13) likewise found no decrease in the total lipoid content of the 

 suprarenal cortex in man, cat and guinea pig during inanition, although differen- 

 tial stains indicate a decrease in cholesterin in all but the outer zone. In the 

 fasting guinea pig, there is an extension of the lipoid-containing layers. In 

 white rats fasting 2-8 days, Wegelin ('13) similarly found no essential decrease 

 in the total lipoid content of the suprarenal cortex. 



