64 



Mr. S. Vincent. 



*'The Comparative Physiology of the Suprarenal Capsules." 

 By Swale Vincent, M.B. (Loud.), British Medical Associa- 

 tion Research Scholar. Communicated by E. A. S CHAFER, 

 F.R.S. Received February 18 —Read March 11, 1897. 



(From the Physiological Laboratory, University College, London.) 



Notwithstanding the belief of Cuvier, " qu'il etaifc probablement 

 reserve a l'anatomie comparee d'expliquer le veritable usage des cap- 

 sules surrenales," this method of comparative investigation has 

 been but little employed in the attempt to discover the functions of 

 these organs. 



It has, in fact, been doubtful as to what are to be regarded as 

 suprarenals and what are not, in certain of the lower vertebrates, 

 especially in fishes. Thus it has been suggested that the lymphatic 

 " head-kidney " of Teleosts may represent these bodies (Weldon, 

 19, 20) ; even the presence or absence of suprarenals in any given 

 order has often been a matter of considerable doubt. I have, in 

 previous papers (15, 16, 17, 18) endeavoured to clear up some of 

 these points, and have described the anatomy and histology of the 

 suprarenal capsules in fishes, amphibians, and reptiles, and I hope in 

 the present communication to give some experimental confirmation 

 of the correctness of the opinions I had previously maintained from 

 histological considerations. 



It will be advisable to prefix a few words about the comparative 

 anatomy of the suprarenal capsules. Suprarenals of some sort are 

 probably present in most, if not all, vertebrate animals. In the 

 Cyclostomata this is at present doubtful,* so that it is not until 

 we come to the Elasmobranch fishes that we find with certainty any- 

 thing in the way of suprarenals. Here we meet with two kinds 

 of structure concerning which there has been much discussion. In 

 the first place, we find a series of paired bodies arranged segmentalry 

 on the intercostal arteries, and extending the whole length of the 

 abdominal cavity. They are situated in close proximity to the sym- 

 pathetic nervous system. Secondly, we have a single or paired, 

 yellow, rod-shaped organ lying between the two halves of the kidney 

 and near the dorsal aspect of this organ. This is the " interrenal " 

 of Balfour (1). 



The histology of these two organs I have described elsewhere (Zoc. 

 cif.), and also I have expressed my belief that the paired segmental 

 bodies correspond to the medulla of the suprarenals of higher verte- 

 brates, while the interrenal body corresponds to the cortex. That 

 this was the case was surmised long ago by Leydig (6, 7), and it is 



* See, however, Collinge and Vincent, ' Anat. Anz.,' vol. 12, Nos. 9 and 10, 1896. 



