THE SUPRARENAL SYSTEM 285 



Napp (1905) published the results of his investigations into 

 the fat-contents of the suprarenals in different pathological con- 

 ditions. He takes no account, however, of the manner in which 

 the double refractivity is affected, and he describes as fat only that 

 portion of the cell contents which stains with sudan red. Babes 

 and Jonesco have also published communications respecting the 

 distribution of fat in the suprarenals. These authors assert that 

 the distribution of fat in the suprarenal cortex differs \vith the 

 age and species of the individual, and that its amount is very 

 much diminished by different pathological conditions, such as 

 inanition and acute and chronic infective diseases. They found, 

 further, that there is a reduction in the number of the fat-granules 

 in the suprarenal cortex of rabbits, if hypertrophy of the organ is 

 induced by the intravenous injection of adrenalin. Babes finds 

 that, in suprarenals containing a large amount of fat and in 

 suprarenal adenoma, the cortical cells are filled with crystalline 

 double refractive granules, the reactions of which are similar to 

 those of protagon. These double refractive granules may entirely 

 crowd out the ordinary fat. 



Elliott and Tuckett (1906) undertook minute investigations 

 into the histology of the cortical granules. They found that the 

 cortex contains four different substances, all of which may be 

 regarded as the products of secretion ; these are the fat granules, 

 the double-refractive substance, the pigment granules of the 

 cortex, and the chromaffine substance of the medulla. The fat in 

 the suprarenal cortex differs from other fats in its ready solubility 

 in etheric oils; it colours red with scarlet R. The double refrac- 

 tive substance which is soluble in ether occurs in the suprarenal 

 cortex in association with true fat, though the distribution of the 

 two substances is not identical, and they may occur in different 

 parts of the cortex. In the guinea-pig, true fat is found in the 

 external third of the cortex only, while the double refractive sub- 

 stance occurs throughout the whole cortex. In the cat, the double 

 refractive substance is generally situated in the external cortical 

 layer, though it is sometimes met with in the internal layer, com- 

 pletely separated from the fat. In the rabbit, the distribution of 

 fa is regular and, when viewed with a polarization microscope, 

 glittering crystals appear to be also regularly distributed through 

 the cortex. In the human suprarenal the conditions are the same. 

 In certain species, though fat is present, the double refractive 

 substance is absent, as for instance, in the case of the cortex of 

 the sheep and the whale. In others, on the other hand, as for 

 instance in the hen, the double refractive substance is present in 

 such large quantities that the entire cortex appears to be filled with 

 large needle-shaped crystals, irrespective of the cell boundaries. 

 According to Elliott and Tuckett, the fat and the double refractive 

 substance are two different secretory products of the suprarenal 

 cortex, but are, however, intimately related to one another. When 

 the body is in the resting state, the amount of the double refractive 



