THE SUPRARENAL SYSTEM 155 



lished. Bierry and Malloisel (1908) describe hypoglycaemia in 

 dogs. O. Forges found that, a few hours after double suprarenal 

 extirpation, the sugar contents of the blood are subnormal. He 

 also found that, in three cases of Addison's disease in man, the 

 sugar contents of the blood were below the average. Frank and 

 Isaak, who experimented with rabbits, deny that there is a con- 

 nection between hypoglycaemia and suprarenal suppression, but 

 their experiments cannot be regarded as conclusive. 



Eppinger, Falta and Rudinger showed the phlorizin pro- 

 duces only slight glycosuria in suprarenalless dogs. They also 

 found that, in certain cases of Addison's disease, the toleration of 

 sugar is remarkably high ; while L. Pollak was unable to produce 

 glycosuria with 2 mg. adrenalin in a case of Addison's disease. 

 Similar doses when exhibited in normal people invariably pro- 

 duced glycosuria. 



Andre Meyer describes his failure to obtain results by means 

 of adrenalin injections ; his results are confirmed by those of 

 Kahn. 



It appears from the foregoing that the regulation of the 

 sugar contents of the blood is a -function of the suprarenal, or 

 rather of the adrenalin-secreting, tissue. 



In a communication dated December 17, 1909, O. Schwarz 

 describes certain appearances which follow extirpation of both 

 suprarenals. He found that in sexually mature male rats, which 

 it is well known live without any symptom of disease for long 

 periods after removal of both suprarenals, phlorizin exercised 

 its full glycosuric action ; but that it produced toxic effects which, 

 under certain conditions, were counteracted by the exhibition of 

 adrenalin. Rats deprived of both suprarenals also showed a 

 marked reduction in the amount of glycogen, an increased decom- 

 position of albumin, and, in spite of these factors, an increase in 

 weight. 



These findings of Schwarz have a peculiar interest, but in 

 my opinion they represent the results, not of suprarenal suppres- 

 sion, but of the suppression of a portion of the adrenal system. 

 It is probable that many symptoms should properly be ascribed 

 to a decreased function of the interrenal system ; this applies parti- 

 cularly to the remarkable change in the behaviour of rats, wild 

 and ferocious animals frequently becoming tame and quiet after 

 operation. Schwarz thinks that, owing to the frequency with 

 which accessory interrenals occur in white rats, these animals are 

 not suitable subjects in which to study the functions of the supra- 

 renal as a whole. Rats which have been deprived of their supra- 

 renals are not in reality suprarenalless, they merely possess a 

 more limited adrenal system than normal animals. Moreover, 

 they cannot be regarded as suffering from the absence of adrenalin, 

 but and perhaps only temporarily merely from scantiness of it. 

 We know from the experiments of v. Haberer and Stoerk that 

 adrenal tissue may undergo a very high degree of hypertrophy. 



