428 



INANITION AND MALNUTRITION 



In adult albino rats with acute or chronic inanition, Jackson ('19) observed 

 a marked atrophy of the cells in the suprarenal medulla, with some degenerative 

 changes, though less marked than in the cortex. The chromaffin reaction is 

 apparently retained undiminished up to death from starvation (Fig. 112), 

 however, although a postmortem decrease in the reaction may occur. 



Vincent and Hollenberg ('20. '21) obtained somewhat variable results as to 

 the amount of chromaffin tissue in the suprarenal medulla of fasting pigeons, 

 rats and dogs. In the early stages of inanition, there may even be an increased 

 amount of adrenin (epinephrin), while in later stages the amount is usually 



Fig. 112. — A longitudinal section of the suprarenal gland in an adult male albino rat 

 (F. 9.3) after 10 days of inanition on water only, with loss of 33 per cent in body weight. 

 Fixation in Miiller's fluid; frozen section (unstained). The normal chromaffin reaction has 

 been retained in the medulla, which in this case extends to the surface at the hilus. X80. 

 (Jackson '19.) 



greatly reduced. Physiological tests by McCarrison ('21) indicated an increased 

 (total) amount of epinephrin in the enlarged suprarenal glands of fasting pigeons. 



Weight. — As above mentioned, a tendency to increased weight of the supra- 

 renals during inanition in the human adult was found by Byrne ('19) and Krieger 

 ('20) (excepting diarrheas), although Leupold ('20?) found no change and 

 Pellegrini ('20) a slight decrease in weight. In atrophic human infants, however, 

 a marked loss in suprarenal weight was noted by Lucien ('08, '08a), Mattei 

 ('14), Marfan ('21) and Jackson ('22). 



Some earlier observations upon the weight of the suprarenals in fasting 

 animals were also mentioned above; those of Chossat ('43) on the pigeon indicat- 

 ing a decrease, while those of Manassein ('69) and Martinotti ('92, '92a) indi- 



