THE FUNCTION OF THE CHROMAPHIL TISSUES

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Abstract
The theory that the chromaphil tissues (and especially the medulla of the adrenal bodies) maintain, or help to maintain, the normal tone of the blood-vessels and other sympathetically innervated structures is now generally abandoned, if we may judge by the attitude adopted by the writers of recent textbooks (15). It is also recognized that the medulla of the adrenal body is not essential to life, and that the reduction of the adrenin content of the blood to a minute fraction of the normal amount does not affect the health of an animal (16). Certain phases of this question have been dealt with in a recent article in this Journal (18). These statements, however, do not exclude the possibility that the chromaphil tissues play a part in certain reactions which are initiated elsewhere, as, for example, in those which result from stimulations of nerves in laboratory experiments. It has been known for a long time that the rise of bloodpressure brought about by stimulation of the peripheral end of the splanchnic nerve is not simple. The curve obtained suggests at once that there is more than one factor concerned in its production. We have not been able to find any reproduction of tracings obtained previously to the work of Elliott, so that it is difficult to ascertain what was the precise form of curve which was considered to be typical under normal or under different experimental conditions.

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