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The Chromajihil Tissues and the Adrenal Medulla. 



By Swale Vincent, M.D., D.Sc, F.K.SS. E. and C, Professor of Physiology 

 in the University of Manitoba. 



(Communicated by Prpf. E. A. Schiifer, F.R.S. Received April 6, — Read 

 I ' April 28, 1910.) 



i ,■ 



I ' (From the Physiological Laboratory, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.) 

 I ■ ' [Plate 13.] 



I. Introductory and Historiccd. 



The recognition of the extra-adrenal chromaphil* cells in mammals and 

 the characteristic reaction with chromium salts, by which they are now 

 universally designated and homologised with the medulla of the adrenals, 

 is due to Stilling.f This author found in tlie abdominal sympathetic small 

 bodies composed of cells having the same chi'oina})hil reaction as those 

 forming the medulla of the adrenal. He states that .some are nearly a 

 i centimetre in length, while otliers are only just visible to the naked eye. 

 1 They are round, oval, or elongated in form, and their thickness is never more 

 j than a few n)illimetres. They have a tunica propria, small vessels and 

 ! capillaries. Between the capillaries are cells which resemble in all respects 

 I those of the idrenal medulla. Tlie resemblance between the chromaphil 

 ' corpuscles of the sympatlietic and the medulla of the adrenal is rendered all 

 ! the greater by the occurrence in the latter of occasional nerve cells. 

 I StilUng found these corpuscles in the rabbit, the cat, and tbe dog, and 

 I especially in young animals. He gives details of a method for displaying 

 j them. 



i Stilling also discovered tliat tbe carotid Iwxly contains cells of tlic same 

 character as those forming the adrenal medulla iind tbe cbromajjbil corpuscles 

 of the sympathetic.^ Later, Kohn§ and Kose|| coniinncd and ('xtended these 



■* Tlie H])cllinf5 " clironiaphil " iii.stcail (if cliioiiio])!!!! was siiggeHled to me by 

 Prof. Schiifer. 

 + 'Revue de MOdecine,' November, 1890, p. 8UH If. 

 X 'llecueil inaugural do rUniver.'jit6 de Lausanne,' 1892. 



§ 'Prager nied. Woch.,' 18<)8, Bd. 23, s. 194— 19.') ; 'Arch. f. niikr. Anat.,' 1898, 

 P,d. .OS, 8. 281—312 ; ' Anat. Anz.,' 189w, Hd. 15 ; ' Ergcl)ninHe d. Anal. u. Kntwick.,' 1899, 

 J',d. 9; 'Arch, niikr. Anat.,' 1900, Pd. nfi ; ' Prag. mod. Woc'h.,' 1902, Jg. 27 ; 'Arch. f. 

 ' mikr. Anat.,' 1903, Pd. 02; 'Allg. Wien. med. Zeit.schr.,' 1903, .Ig. 48, nr. 46 u. 47; 

 ' Ergebnisse Anat. u. Kntwickl.,' 1902, lid. 12 ; ' IVag. mod. Woch.,' 1903, nr. 42. 



II ' Sitz. Per. d. naturw.-med. Ver. f. Uiihmen, Lotos,' 1898, No. (J ; ' Anat. An/-.,' 1902, 

 Bd. 22 ; il>id., 1904, Bd. 2.''). 



