THE ADRENAL BODIES 



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limbs become stiff, the animals tire on the slightest exertion, 

 and show extreme prostration. Finally, with increasing 

 asthenia, there is dyspnoea, heart- weakness, and death. In 

 rabbits convulsions are common, but do not occur in cats and 

 dogs. The authors lay considerable stress upon the loss of 

 weight which occurs even after the unilateral operation. 1 This 

 symptom is less marked if the operation be carried out upon 

 castrated animals. Fall of temperature, too, is regarded by 

 them as a significant symptom. They could detect no change 

 in the haemoglobin of the blood, nor in the number of red and 

 white corpuscles. They could detect no change in the electrical 

 excitability of the nerves, and deny that removal of the adrenals 

 gives rise to symptoms resembling those of poisoning by curare. 

 There was no true paralysis, but only weakness and prostration. 

 The operated animals were very sensitive to bodily movements. 

 Adrenal extirpation has no effect on the protein metabolism. 

 This applies, at any rate, to rabbits and cats. The Scandinavian 

 authors consider it very probable that the adrenals have a 

 varying functional significance in different classes of animals. 2 



Strehl and Weiss operated upon 114 animals, and found that 

 total extirpation always causes death in from four hours to five 

 days. If the operation was performed at two sittings, the second 

 gland was always found to be enlarged. Among the symptoms 

 noted by these writers after extirpation are muscular weakness, 

 a low temperature, and a low blood-pressure. 



Strehl and Weiss give the following tabular statement of 

 their results : 



1 This result was also obtained by Elliott and Tuckett, and has been fre 

 quently observed by the present writer. 



2 This is probably true of all the " ductless glands." 



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