NOllMAL MODE OF SECRETION IN THYROID GLAND 41 



mentioned Tiberti, and C'iuUa. The latter identifies the fuchsin- 

 ophile granulations of Galeotti with the chromophobe secretion 

 of Anderson, the plasmosomes with the chromophile secretion of 

 the same author. 



Lobenhoffer ('09) studised human thyroid glands, both normal 

 and pathological, in material fixed in formol Miiller, and stained 

 in anilin acid fuchsin. He found, in his preparations, the cells 

 containing in widely varying amounts spherical fuchsinophile 

 granules about the size of the granules of eosinophile leucocytes. 

 Sometimes these granules formed a narrow row along the margin 

 of the cell, and sometimes very small granules were found actu- 

 ally in the margin of the colloid. These granules he regarded as 

 the antecedents of the thyroid secretion, interpreting the vary- 

 ing contents as indicating different phases of secretory activity. 



As a result of the work of these observers we have to consider 

 the following structures, in connection with the secretory ac- 

 tivit}" of the thyroid cells, as possible intracellular secretion 

 antecedents : 



1. Spherules of colloid, described by all observers except 

 Lobenhoffer. 



2. Vacuoles containing a colorless unstaining fluid substance 

 described by Anderson as chromophobe secretion, and inter- 

 preted by him as the antecedent of the content of the vacuoles 

 seen in the margin of the colloid. 



3. Colloid occurring as a diffusely distributed substance in the 

 cytoplasm of the so-called colloid cells of Langendorff. 



4. The fuchsinophile granules of Galeotti. 



5. The fuchsinophile granules of Lobenhoffer. 



Recent work by O. Schultze, and Mawas has helped to reduce 

 the number of supposed secretion antecedents in the preceding 

 list by demonstrating the presence in the thyroid epithelial cells 

 of numerous mitochondria, usually filamentous, and oriented in 

 the direction of the main axis of the cells. There seems to be 

 little doubt that the fuchsinophile granules of Lobenhoffer arc in 

 reality mitochondria, rather imperfectly preserved. To this cate- 

 gory belong also in part at least the fuchsinophile granules of 

 .Galeotti, Tiberti, and others. Possibly however, a part of these 



