G L A 



tjons poitefs very little aftivity in the fcet\i8, the glands in 

 gencnJ arc large. The falivary glands and pancreas are 

 larger than in the fcquel : the bulk of the liver is enormous ; 

 and the kidnies eonliderahly exceed their adult volume. 

 It is not yet afocrtained whether the fame obfervation ap- 

 plies to the mucous glands. The form and colour are^dif- 

 ferent in fevcnil from what tliey afterwards exhibit. The 

 texture partakes of that foflncft; and delicacy, which are 

 common to the whole body ; and they abound with fluids. 

 In rcfpea of their fecrctions, they feem to he in a con- 

 dition analogous to that of reiniliion in tlie adult ; indeed, 

 lliey produce ilill lefs than at that time. In fact, all the re- 

 fcrvoirs would not fuffice to contain the produce of their feere- 

 tion, if thefe were as much produced in a given lime, as 

 after birth. Is this becaufe the black l)lood, which they 

 contain, does not furnilh fuitable materials ? or rather, be- 

 caufe the aftions concerned in the compolition of the body 

 predominate fo romarkably over thofe ot the other kind i 

 All the matter brought to the organs remains in them, and 

 affords the materials of the rapid growth, which is then 

 taking place : confequently, the fecretions, which are de- 

 figned chiefly to get rid of the relidue of nutrition, are 

 then inaftive. Mgreover, digelUon introduces into the 

 blood none of thofe principles, which, not being required 

 f(jr nutrition, are expelled nearly as they enter, without 

 having belonged to the compoiition of the organs ; fuch as 

 thj grcateft part of the dnnk. 



' 2. Staje of thi ghituh during groivlh. — This fyftem ac- 

 »juires a fudden increafe of energy at the time of birth. 

 Ii4;d blood now circulates through its veflels ; and the ex- 

 tremities of the excretories are ilimulated in various ways, 

 as, by the food in the cafe of thofe which open on the ali- 

 mentary canal, by the air in the refpiratory apparatus, &c. 

 The organs are fo much the more fenfible to this fudden 

 excitation, in proportion as they were before unaccutlomed 

 to it. Yet many of the fecrctions are carried on with lefs 

 aftivity during the firft years of life, than in the fequel, as 

 thofe of the falivary glands, liver, &c. Affections of the 

 glandular fyftem are not the leading ones in the lirft years 

 of life. The lymphatic ghmds, as they are called, and nut 

 the parotids, form the fwellings fo frequent about tlie neck. 

 Hepatic affeftions are rare at this time. All the fecretions 

 connefted with the generative procefs hitherto do not exift. 

 The organs, wliieh ai-e particularly employed at any age, 

 are chiefly affefted by acute and chronic difeafes at that 

 time ; while thofe, by which no important fundion is ex- 

 frcifed, feem to be overlooked. All affeftions of the teftis 

 and chord are unfrequent before puberty, while the procefs 

 of nutriripn alone is carried on in thefe organs. The glan- 

 dular tiffue is for a long time foft and delicate in the child ; 

 and it has not that property of becoming hard in confe- 

 quence of boiling, which we have mentioned as belonging 

 to it in the adult. 



3. Slats of the fyjlcm after granuth. — We have already 

 fpoken, in the article Gf.NEiiATiON, of the organs which 

 come into attivity at puberty, and of the influence which 

 they exert on the frame. At this time all the fyftem ac- 

 quires a greater firmnefs in its texture. Towards the for- 

 tieth year the digeftive glands feem to be predominant in 

 the economy, and the liver is efpecially obfervable among 

 thofe. Now bilious affeftions are moft numerous ; and the 

 influence of thofe paflions, to which the bilious tempera- 

 ment feems to difpofe, is moft obfervable. 



4. State of the glands in old age. — At this time the organs 

 gradually become more hard in their texture : but their 

 colour changes lefs than that of moft parts. The liver, 

 kidney, &c. are nearly as full of blood as in U»e adult ; 



G L A 



while the mufcles, pale and colourlcfs, contain a rmalief 

 proportion than before. It feems that this fluid hrft quit* 

 the ikin and mnfcles, which are fartheft from the heart, and 

 is concentrated in the nearer organs ; thus ihe fecr'tions are 

 ftill abundant in old perlons, while the mufcularand nervous 

 powers arc conllderably weakened. The kidnies and liver 

 ftill feparate their particular fecretions in large quantity. 

 The activity of the generative fyftem has long ceafed. The 

 active exertion of the glands wliich are ftill emph)ycd may 

 he referred to two caules. The decompoiilion of the body 

 is very marked at this time, and much matter is coniequently 

 thrown out by certain glands. The decay of the old fub- 

 jetl is a plienomcnon exactly oppofite to that of growth in 

 the fa-tus. The ikin, (hrivclled and hardened, ceafes to 

 tiirow out the products of decompofition, and the glands 

 fupply its place. 



Generally fpeaking, life ceafes moft gradually in the 

 glandular fyftem. In the bodies of old perfons we fee the 

 gall and the urinary bladders ftill full of their refpedti%e 

 fluids. Compreflion of any gland, even of the proftate, 

 ftiews that it contains much fluid ; even more than we ob- 

 ferve in the young fubjett. It is alfo a remarkable pheno- 

 menon that all the chief internal organs, as the liver, kidney, 

 heart, lungs, &c. ftill prelerve a confiderable fliare of vita- 

 lity, while the parts fubfervient te fenfation and locomotion 

 are nearly exhaufted, and the ties, which connedt the indi- 

 vidual to furrounding objefts, are confequently nearly de- 

 ftroyed. Haller, Element. Phyhulog. torn. 2. Dumas, 

 Principes de Phyfiologie, t. 4. Bichat, Anatomic Gene- 

 rale, t. 4. 



Gland, in Vegetable PhyftoJogy, {glandula, a little kernel,) 

 is defined by Linnsus as " a Imall tumour, difcharging a 

 fluid.'' This fluid is always fome peculiar fecretion. The 

 calyx and ftalks of the Mofs Rofc, and of many other 

 Rofes in fome degree, are covered with prominent glands, 

 difcharging a vifcid aromatic liquor. Between the ferratures 

 of the leaf of Salix pcniandra, the Bay -leaved Willow, is a 

 fcries of fuch glands, whofe exudation is a highly fragrant 

 yellow gum-rcfin, to which the fine-fcent of that leaf is 

 chiefly owing, and feveral other Willows are provided with 

 liniilar, though lefs perfumed, fecretions, On the footftalks 

 of the Guelder-rofe, Viltirnmn Opulus, are very large and 

 elaborate glands, whofe diicharge however is comparatively 

 trifling, while various fpecies of Paflion-flower bear cup- 

 ftiaped glands, on their footftalks, producing a confiderable 

 quantity of very fweet honey. Thefe therefore bear more 

 analogy to thofe glands, appropriated to fome flowers, and 

 called, from their produce, neftarifcrous glands, or nefta- 

 ries. Such occur in Geranium, and in the Cruciform plants, 

 conftituting the I^innxan clafs Tetradynamia. In the latter 

 the nectariferous glands occafionally exhale a powerful 

 fcent, efpecially in Sifymbvhim tenu'ifolium, Engl. Bot. t. 525, 

 The kinds of glands above-mentioned, being of a fecrc- 

 tory nature, certainly bear a great analogy to the gland* 

 of the animal body, but it appears that the more general 

 and important fecretions of vegetables are accompliftied 

 through membranes, whofe organization and phyfiology.are 

 inCcrutable to our powers of inveftigatiou. S. 



Gland.s, D'lfeafed. See Bubo, Luks Venerea^ 

 Scrofcla, BnosciiocELr:, &c. 



Gl.x^Ti^i of Birds and Fi/hes.— See Arialomy o/" Birds, and 

 Fish. 



GLANDEN, in Geography, a town of Pruflla, in Na- 

 tangen ; 30 miles E. of Brandenburg. 



GLANDERS, in Veterinary Science, a filthy difeafe in 

 a horfe, fo called, probably, from the fweUing of the fub- 

 maxillary glands that accompanies it ; and confifting in a 



corrupt 



