122 FKANK A. HAKTMAJST 



amount of cellular atrophy, especially in the middle cortical zone, and in- 

 creased degeneration in the inner zone. The medulla is affected less. 

 Mitosis in the young ceases but begins anew with refeeding. In adults the 

 liposomes resist inanition to a considerable extent. The dhromaffin action 

 although weak in young animals can be diminished by underfeeding. On 

 the other hand this reaction in the adult does not seem to be modified by 

 inanition. This, you will notice, disagrees with the findings of McCar- 

 rison. 



Pelligrini has noted that although there is diminution of the capsular 

 chromaphil bodies in fasting, in the early stages this is accompanied by 

 hyperfunctioning and in the later stages by a reduction in the function 

 as well as regression in the medulla. 



Byrne has described enlargement of the suprarenals in case of eight 

 human subjects who had died of starvation. The increase was to about 

 one and one-half natural size and appeared to be mostly in the cortex. 



Physiology of the Suprarenal Cortex 



About all we know concerning the function of the suprarenal cortex 

 is that it is essential to life. Biedl's experiments upon extirpation of the 

 interrenal bodies of fish have demonstrated this. Moreover, if we are 

 to judge from the results of such an operation, the cortex would appear 

 to be more vital than the medulla. The symptoms produced are similar 

 to those resulting from complete suprarenal ablation in mammals. The 

 relatively greater importance of the cortex has also been demonstrated 

 by the works of Wheeler and Vincent in which they removed one supra- 

 renal and half of the other, finally destroying the medulla of the remainder 

 by cautery. When such animals succumbed the result could be attributed 

 to cortical injury. Many of the animals survived the operation. 



It is true that there are certain exceptional cases in which the cor- 

 tex of both glands can be spared. But this is accounted for by the pres- 

 ence of accessory cortical bodies. 



The importance of the cortical tissue is also indicated by the hyper- 

 trophy of such accessory tissue or of fragments of the suprarenal cortex 

 in cases of experimental suprarenal insufficiency of long survival. In 

 hypertrophy of the intact glands the increase is largely due to cortical 

 growth, which confirms further the importance of this tissue. 



The close anatomical relationship between the mammalian cortex 

 and medulla has suggested to some the possibility of certain products 

 being furnished by the cortex to be further elaborated in the medulla. 

 Or epinephrin might actually be produced in the cortex and stored in the 

 medulla (Abelous, Soulie and Toujan). 



Toujan concluded from his study that epinephrin is produced in the 



