142 THE DUCTLESS GLANDS 



attach any particular importance to them. He thought, 

 indeed, that the disease of the adrenal glands had no immediate 

 relation to pigmentation. 



The statement that removal of both adrenal bodies does not 

 necessarily lead to death was denied by Tizzoni. This author 

 came to the conclusion that in rabbits the destruction of one or 

 both of the adrenals results in death if sufficient time be allowed 

 to elapse. He obtained similar results with dogs. 



The opinion that unilateral extirpation could lead to death 

 was strenuously opposed by Stilling, who found that young 

 rabbits from which one adrenal had been removed could develop 

 quite normally, and live more than a year without showing any 

 untoward symptoms. In thirty cases investigated Tizzoni 

 found pigmentary changes in thirteen. These came on at the 

 earliest two months after the operation, and occurred exclusively 

 in the mucous membrane of the nose and mouth. They were 

 of the same character as those found in Addison's disease. 

 Stilling was unable to confirm these results. Tizzoni con- 

 sidered that death, which might occur after removal of one 

 capsule, was due to lesions of the nervous system. 



Abelous and Langlois employed various means for experi- 

 mental lesions upon the adrenals, such as ligature, crushing, 

 and cauterization, but most frequently the last method was 

 used. They report that after complete destruction of one 

 gland some animals suffered a loss of weight and a small pro- 

 portion died. After complete destruction of both adrenals 

 most of the animals soon died. The duration of life could be 

 increased by performing the operation at two sittings with an 

 interval of several days between them. After destruction of 

 a fifth part of each gland, with an interval of one or two days 

 between the two operations, the animals could be kept alive, 

 but there was considerable emaciation. If an interval of eight 

 to fifteen days were allowed to elapse between the two opera- 

 tions, then the animals lived without symptoms. If the half of 

 each organ were cauterized away, the animals rapidly wasted 

 and died, but not so quickly as after total destruction. The 

 animals employed in the experiments were guinea-pigs. 



Alezais and Arnaud, in a series of papers entitled " Recherches 

 Experi men tales et Critiques sur la Toxicite de la Substance 

 des Capsules Surrenales," conclude that the suprarenal capsule, 

 though still functioning in the adult, is not indispensable for 



