24 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE ADRENALS. 



fishes in which the suprarenal structure is clearly glandular, 

 that all the phases of excessive reaction could be brought on. 

 Hemorrhagic foci were found by Wybauw 59 in the adrenals of 

 a child which had died of broncho-pneumonia the result of a 

 tracheotomy for croup. Even drugs may bring on hyperemia, 

 congestion, and hemorrhage of the suprarenal glands, as shown 

 by Pilliet, 60 who observed these phenomena after the use of 

 the essence and nitrate of uranium. Essence of cloves has also 

 been found capable of stimulating them to such a degree as to 

 bring on macroscopically-visible lesions. 



The next step in our analysis is to ascertain by what proc- 

 ess toxic elements can bring on, not haemorrhage, but the in- 

 sufficiency of the organs which gives rise to this condition. 



The few allusions to this feature in the literature upon 

 suprarenal hemorrhage refer to this condition as a direct result 

 of various intoxications. 



One prominent investigator, for example, writes: "Ex- 

 periments have shown that certain poisons, essence of cloves, 

 Friedlander's bacillus, diphtheric toxin given by the mouth 

 or by injection to guinea-pigs produce acute congestion or haem- 

 orrhage in the suprarenals," thus relegating, with all other 

 writers on the subject, glandular insufficiency to the position 

 of a consequence of congestion or hemorrhage. We, therefore, 

 have no direct data to fall back on for our investigation in this 

 direction. 



The view that the suprarenal specific principle itself pos- 

 sesses antitoxic powers, has suggested to those who have ac- 

 cepted it the conclusion that a high degree of toxosmia, by over- 

 taxing the organs, caused congestion, and, if this reached be- 

 yond certain limits, haemorrhage. This conception was mainly 

 based on the view of Brown-Sequard, who was led, by the toxic 

 effects of blood taken from decapsulated animals upon normal 

 ones, to ascribe to the glands themselves a direct antitoxic 

 function. It met with further support in the fact that violent 

 toxemia invariably follows the removal of both organs, and 

 was therefore accepted by many investigators. It was also 



69 Wybauw: Annalos de la Soci6t Royale des Sciences M6d. et Nat. de Bel- 

 gique, vol. vi, Nos. 2 and 3, 1897. 



w Pilliet: Le Bulletin Medical, Feb. 7, 1894. 



