598 



AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 



Suprarenals — • Contd. 



to the cortex of the mammalian suprarenal 

 (Vincent, S. 1897.1, p. 46), Prof. Schafer sug- 

 gested that the matter be tested pnysiologicaliy 

 as given below under " Physiological action." 

 The resists, as there indicated, firmly established 

 these homologies. 



Development of the supraxenals 



It is now well established that the chro- 

 mophile (medullary) bodies and the interrenal 

 (cortical) tissue are of different embryoiiic 

 origin, the former, as first established by Bal- 

 four (F. M. 1878.1), being derivatives of the 

 sympathetic gangha, and the latter arising 

 from thickenings of the coelomic epithelium 

 (Wijhe, J. W. van 1889.1). 



The most valuable recent summary of the 

 developm,ent ^f the suprarenal organs in 

 vertebrates, with a full review of the pre- 

 vious literature, is -^Poll, H. 1906.1. 



Other papers on their development or 

 morphology in Elasmobranchii. Diamare, 

 V. 1899.1, 1905.1; •Grynfeltt, E. 1902.1, 

 .2,.3, 1903.1, 1903.2; Kohn, A. 1898.1, 

 1899.1; •Minervini, R. 1904.1; Wijhe, 

 J. W. 1888.1. .2, 1889.1; and Zuckerkandl, 

 E. 1906.1. 



Others relating to Teleosts. Diamare, 

 V. 1895.1, 1899.1; Huot, A. 1897.1, 

 1898.1; Pettit, A. 1910.1; and Srdinko, 

 O. V. 1903.1 (i). 



Fallacious theories of development 



In 1827, Rathke (M. H. 1827.1) put forward 

 the view that possibly the pronephros of Cyclo- 

 stomes represents the suprarenal bodies of the 

 Ghathostomata. Evidently quite independently, 

 Weldon (W. F. 1884.1, .2) after a study of the 

 pronephros of Bdellostoma, reiterated these 

 views. Grosglik (S. 1885.1) developed a some- 

 what similar view, considering the " head- 

 kidney " of Teleosts to consist of two parts, the 

 degenerated pronephros and the cortical part of 

 the suprarenals. These views have been fully 

 discussed by ColUnge & Vincent (1896.1) and by 

 Vincent (S. 1898.1) who beUeve that there is 

 no relation, other than that of position, between 

 the suprarenal organs and the renal organs. 



More recently, Aichel (O. 1900.1,-2), who 

 homologizes the Selachian interrenal alone with 

 the mammalian adrenal, has derived both parts 

 of the mammalian adrenal from, the meso- 

 nephric nephrostomes. However, it is now gen- 

 erally stated (Poll) that there is no relation 

 between the renal and siiprarenal organs. 



Suprarenal organs of other groups 



Histology of the suprarenals 

 The medullary substance possesses a decided 

 chromaffinity, and when treated with salts of 

 chromic acid (potassium bichromate), it takes 

 on a deep yellow or brown coloration due to 

 the presence of adrenalin. Because, of this dis- 

 tinctive reaction, the medullary substance has 

 been termed " Chromophil " (Stilling); 

 "" Chromaffin " (Kohn) and " Phaeochrome " 

 tissue (Poll, 1906.1, p. 444). As applied to 

 fishes, this method seems to have been first used 

 by Semper (C. G. 1875.3, p. 228). 



The coloring substance, because of its lipoid 

 ■content, on treatment with osmic acid, gives a 

 characteristic black color. This method seems 

 first to have been used, with fish material, by 

 Chevrel (R. 1890.1). 



By the use of these characteristic stains, 

 Giacomini has successfully demonstrated the 

 occurrence of chromophile (medullary) and 

 interrenal (cortical) tissue in all classes of 

 fishes. 



Suprarenal organs of Cyclostomata 

 Giacomini (E. 1902.1, 1904.2), using the 

 chrome reaction to identify the tissues, demon- 

 strated the existence of chromophile tissue as a 

 row of small bodies extending along the aorta 

 and its lateral branches from the second bran- 

 chial to the end of the post-anal regions. The 

 interrenal (cortical) tissue consists of scattered 

 islets, often composed of only two or three 

 cells, which lie in the tissue on the lateral and 

 ventral aspects of the cardinal veins. 



Gaskell (J. F. 1912.1) has since confirmed 

 the existence of chromophile tissue by physio- 

 logical methods (see below), since extracts of 

 tins tissue produce a characteristic rise of blood 

 pressure in the cat, which can be matched by 

 measured adrenalin injections. 



Suprarenal organs of Teleostomi 



Extending his researches, Giacomini has 

 since demonstrated the presence of chro- 

 mophile and interrenal tissue in Teleosts (1902.3) ; 

 Acipenser (1904.1); Amiurus (1905.1); both 

 larval (Leptocephalus) and adult eel (Anguilla), 

 1908.2,.4, 1909.3; Salmo (1910.1. 1911.1); 

 Cyprinidfie (1911.2); Lophobranchii (1911.3), 

 etc. 



In general, interrenal tissue is found in the 

 " Corpuscles of Stannius," which are small 

 bodies, either paired or unpaired, situated at 

 the posterior end of the kidney, and also (An- 

 guilla, Esox, Tinea, Trutta) in the " anterior 

 interrenal organ " which is a single body sit- 

 uated at the anterior edge of the pronephros 

 and attached to the anterior and posterior 

 cardinal veins. 



Chromophile tissue cells occur in the walla 

 of the cardinal veiiis, and also distributed be- 

 tween the lobes of the anterior interrenal organ. 



Mulon (P. 1914.1) has exariiined chemically 

 the anterior interrenal organ of Teleosts and 

 finds it apparently devoid of pigment and cho- 

 lesterol, thus differing profoundly from other 

 vertebrates. However, the cytological details 

 are essentially similar and he concludes that it 

 is homologous with the mammalian cortex. 



Suprarenal organs of Dipnoi 

 Giacomini (E. 1906.1) has also demonstrated 

 the presence of chromophile cells in Protopterus, 

 grouped into small paired bodies attached to 

 the intercostal arteries throughout the trunk 

 region, also in the walls of the posterior cardinal 

 vein and the left azygos vein. No trace of in- 

 terrenal tissue could be found. 



Physiological action of suprarenal tissue 



It is now well known, through the researches 

 of Oliver and Schafer (Journ. Physiol., 1895, 

 vol. 18, p. 230) and of others, that saline extracts 

 of the suprarenal capsules when injected into 

 the blood vessels of a living animal, produce 

 definite and characteristic results, shown es- 

 pecially by a marked rise in blood pressure. 

 The extract of the medulla only acts in this way, 

 the cortical substance being practically inactive. 

 The active principle of the medullary or chro- 

 mophile tissue extracts has subsequently been 

 isolated as epinephrin or adrenalin. 



Using this principle, Vincent (S. 1897.1) 

 showed that filtered saline extracts of the seg- 

 mentally arranged " suprarenals " of Elasmo- 

 branchs (Scyllium and Acanthias) contracted 

 the blood vessels of the toad to an enormous 

 degree while extracts of the interrenals and of 

 the Teleostean " suprarenals " produced no 

 effect. He thus concluded that the segmental 

 bodies are homologous with the medullary tissue 

 of the mammalian suprarenal while the inter- 

 renal corresponds to the mammaUan cortical 

 tissue. 



Vincent (S. Add. 1897.1) later demonstrated 

 that injection of the extract of the paired seg- 



