SUPRARENAL GLAND—EFFECTS OF INANITION 255 
center of the gland. Cell boundaries are more distinct than 
heretofore. The relatively abundant cyoplasm is filled with 
characteristic eosinophile granules and a variable number of 
lipoidal vacuoles. In some cases these vacuoles appear no 
more numerous than in the second week. In others they are 
more abundant especially in the outer half of the middle zone, 
whereby these cells become much larger than the cells of the 
inner half of the middle zone. The nuclei are typical in struc- 
ture, spherical, and moderately rich in chromatin. Atrophic 
cells occasionally occur in various stages of degeneration. 
The inner zone (zona reticularis, fig. 6, 7) is rather narrow, 
but of variable width, representing the area of irregular cell 
columns next to the medulla. The irregularity of structure is 
probably associated with the process of absorption accompany- 
ing the expansion of the medulla, although only occasionally 
are the border cells flattened as though atrophic from pressure. 
Most of the cells in the inner zone are similar to those of the 
adjacent middle zone, the cytoplasm containing eosinophile 
granules and a few small lipoidal vacuoles. Some scattered 
cells show various stages of degeneration and disintegration. Oc- 
casional islets of such cortial cells occur also in the adjacent 
medulla, but rarely deeper, toward the center of the medulla, 
as in the earlier stages. 
The medulla in stained sections (fig. 6, M) appears very light, 
in’ strong contrast with the darker cortex. (The converse is 
true if the suprarenal gland has been fixed in Zenker-formol 
instead of Zenker’s fluid, the sections being stained with hema- 
toxylin.) The parenchyma forms irregular cell masses, sepa- 
rated by delicate fibrous stroma (with elongated nuclei) enclos- ‘ 
ing wide, sinusoidal blood-vessels. The cytoplasm of the 
parenchyma cells is abundant, containing pale violet (chromaffin?) 
granules and numerous non-lipoidal vacuoles, variable in size 
and number. The nuclei are typically vesicular in form and 
only moderately chromatic. A few are smaller and more deeply 
staining, sometimes pycnotic. Degenerative cells with karyo- 
lytic nuclei are rarely seen. Occasional large spherical sym- 
pathetic ganglion cells and bundles of non-medullated fibers 
appear. 
THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ANATOMY, VOL. 25, No. 3 
