48 



PHYSIOLOGY 



CHAP. 



the skin. From this last very apparent symptom, he named the 

 new form of disease "bronzed skin." Addison believed it to 

 depend on deficiency or functional insufficiency of the suprarenals, 

 of which he recognised the great physiological importance. He 

 further held that there was a relation between the absence or 

 diminished function of the suprarenals, and the amount of pig- 

 ment deposited in the skin. By diligent research into the 





FIG. 15. Transverse section of abdominal aortic paraganglion of adult cat. (Vassale.) u, sym- 

 pathetic ganglion ; 6, 6, b, nerves ; c, paragangliar or chromaftine tissue. 



pathological anatomy of almost every one who had died of 

 " bronzed skin," he discovered profound alterations in the capsules 

 of various kinds, more particularly of a tuberculous nature. 



Starting from Addison's researches, Brown-Sequard (1856) 

 performed a series of experiments on animals, and came to the 

 same conclusion as the English pathologist, viz. : that the supra- 

 renal capsules were organs indispensable to life. 



On destroying the capsules, Brown-Sequard found that they 



