ADRENAL BODIES. 357 



cent in man. In the iodothyreoglobulin of the ox, NURENBERG l found 

 0.59-0.86 per cent iodine and 1.83-2.0 per cent sulphur. In young 

 animals, whose glands contain no iodine, the thyreoglobulin is iodine- 

 free. Thyreoglobulin on taking up iodine is converted into iodothyreo- 

 globulin. By introducing iodine salts the iodine content of the iodo- 

 thyreoglobulin can be raised in living animals and thus the physiological 

 activity increased (OSWALD). The amount of iodine in the gland is 

 markedly dependent upon the food. 



JOLIN 2 has examined a large number of thyroid glands from healthy and 

 diseased persons (in SWEDEN), for their iodine content. In 28 children, ages 

 varying between 1 and 10 years, he found an average of 0.28 p. m. iodine in the 

 glands. In 108 normal glands above 10 years old or adults the iodine content 

 varied with an average of 1.56 p. m. iodine. In glands from persons after using 

 iodine preparations (34 cases) the iodine content was 2.56 p. m. 



We cannot enter into a discussion as to the various hypotheses and theories 

 in regard to the mode of action of the constituents of the thyroids. 3 



The Adrenal Bodies. Besides proteins, substances of the con- 

 nective tissue, and salts, there occur in the suprarenal capsule inosite, 

 purine bases, especially xanthine (OKER-BLOM), a protagon-like substance 

 (ORGLER), relatively considerable lecithin and choline, and glycerophos- 

 phoric acid, which are probably decomposition products of the lecithin. 

 The earlier accounts of the occurrence of benzoic acid, hippuric acid r 

 and bile-acids are, on the contrary, doubtful, and are not substantiated 

 by recent investigations (STADELMANN) . Earlier investigators, like VUL- 

 PIAN and ARNOLD/ have found in the medulla a chromogen which has 

 been considered as connected with the abnormal pigmentation of the skin 

 in Addison's disease. This chromogen, which is transformed by air, 

 light, alkalies, iodine, and other bodies into a red pigment, seems, on the 

 contrary, to be related to the substance adrenalin, of the gland which 

 produces an increase in the blood-pressure. Choline has been shown to 

 have a reverse effect upon this blood pressure raising action, and LOH- 

 MANN 5 has shown that it is formed in the cortical substance of the adrenals. 

 That the watery extract of the adrenals has a blood -pressure raising 

 action was shown by OLIVER and SCHAFER, CYBULSKI and SZYMONO- 

 wicz. 6 The substance which is here active was formerly called sphyg- 



1 Bioch. Zeitschr., 16. 



3 Hammarsten's Festschr., 1906. 



3 A summary of the thyroid literature may be found in Maly's Jahresber., 24 and 

 25. See also the works of Blum and Oswald, cited by Oswald in Biochem. Cen- 

 tralbl., 1, 249. 



4 Oker-Blom, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 28; Stadelmann, ibid., 18, which also 

 contains the literature on this subject; Orgler, Salkowski's Festschrift, 1904. 



5 Centralbl. f. Physiol., 21, and Pfliiger's Arch., 118. 



8 Oliver and Schafer, Proceed, of Physiol. Soc., London, 1895. Further literature 

 on the function of the adrenals may be found in Szymonowicz, Pfluger's Arch., 64. 



