HYPOPHYSIS CEREBRI 305 



In his book on comparative anatomy and embryology (1907) 

 S. v. Schuhmacher shows that the coccygeal gland of man 

 corresponds to the glomuleri caudales of lower mammalian species, 

 and that both are to be regarded as arterio-venous anastomoses. 

 The primal origin of the coccygeal gland in man is to be found 

 in a local thickening of the, medial sacral artery and its branches. 

 The muscular fibres of the vessels assume an epithelioid appearance 

 even in the embryo. In adults the cells of the muscular structure 

 of the artery are shortened and broadened, the nuclei are spheroid 

 and react weakly to dyes. Thus it appears that the layers which, 

 in the anastomotic vessels, are the continuation of the arterial 

 muscles, have been taken for everything except what they are, 

 namely, modified vessel muscles. According to v. Schuhmacher, 

 this organ in man should rightly be termed glomus coccygeum ; 

 like the glomeruli caudales of animals, it consists of a network 

 of branched and convoluted vessels, which cannot in any sense 

 be credited with an internal secretory function. 



HYPOPHYSIS CEREBRI (CEREBRAL APPEND- 

 AGE,* PITUITARY GLAND). 



From the earliest times the pituitary body has been regarded 

 as an organ possessing a secretory function. Galen and Vesalius 

 believed that the mucus (pituita) formed in the brain was excreted 

 by the agency of the pituitary body. Later authors, however, 

 (Willis, Vieussens, Sylvius, Boerhave, Monroe) inclined to the 

 view that the cerebro-spinal fluid was secreted by that organ. 

 Magendie (1847), who investigated the genesis of the cerebro- 

 spinal fluid, regarded the hypophysis as an organ resembling the 

 lymph glands, and he believed that it collected the lymph from 

 the brain and conveyed this lymph into the circulation. 



Liegeois (1860) was the first to include the hypophysis among 

 what were at that time known as the vascular or blood glands; 

 he described histological findings which he believed pointed to 

 the formation of blood in this organ. It is interesting to note 

 that the brothers Wenzel (1810) believed that epilepsy was due 

 to an accumulation of colloid in the hypophysis. 



After the formulation of the doctrine of internal secretion by 

 Brown-Sequard, a large number of observations were published 

 which sufficiently justified the inclusion of the hypophysis among 

 the internal secretory organs. The fundamental argument was 

 supplied by Rogowitsch, who found that extirpation of the 

 thyroid was followed by hypertrophy of the hypophysis. The 



* Before the introduction by Soemmering of the term Hypophysis 

 cerebri, the following names were also used : Glans pituitam excipiens 

 Vesalius, caput rosse, colatorium, labrum, lacuna, infusorium, concha pelvis, 

 embotum, pelvis colatoria, sentina encephali, 



20 



