CHAPTER VIII. 



THE INTERNAL SECRETIONS OF THE PANCREAS 

 AND SPLEEN. 



GLYCOSUKIA AND OVEEACTIVITY OF THE ADRENAL SYSTEM. 

 The pancreas and spleen are considered together because 

 there is considerable evidence in favor of the view that they 

 are functionally associated; and it is to give the analysis of 

 this question and its relationship with the ferments furnished 

 by the pancreas to the portal blood due prominence that we 

 have, under other headings, considered the better-known func- 

 tions of both organs. 



To sustain our belief that liver glycogen is converted into 

 dextrose by an amylolytic ferment supplied by the pancreas 

 which penetrates the portal vein directly, i.e., by way of the 

 splenic vein, we were fortunate in having at our disposal the 

 experiments of Croftan, which showed that suprarenal over- 

 activity could so augment the functional activity of the fer- 

 ment-producing organ as to induce a very great increase in 

 the sugar eliminated. This feature requires further study, 

 since it will tend to elucidate other functions of the pancreas. 



We believe that we have conclusively shown that drugs of 

 various kinds increase the functional activity of the adrenals. 

 The uniformity of the phenomena traceable to these glands 

 under the influence of such agencies seems to us to warrant 

 the conclusion that, if we can demonstrate that glycosuria is 

 also subject to the latter, its fluctuations following those of 

 the suprarenal activity or insufficiency induced by them, a 

 direct connection between glycosuria and suprarenal over- 

 activity will have been shown. Yet we must bear in mind, in 

 this connection, that all active drugs may have a primary 

 action upon tissues for which they possess a specific affinity 

 before the suprarenal protective functions are fully awakened. 

 We have seen that even electrical stimulation of the splanch-. 

 nic is only followed by vermicular motions of the intestinal 

 wall after some time has elapsed. But too much weight must 

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