Page:Popular Science December 1931.djvu/136

 For ChristmuM. . . Give This Treasure House off Fascinat- ing and Usefful Infformation How the Sacred Cloak of St. Martin Gave Us Our Word CHAPEL When the revered Saint Martin died at Tour«, in the 4th century, his cloak was preserved by the Prankish Kings as a holy relic. The orisinal tneanins of cupcila, the Late Latin word for cloak, was extended, so that it came to mean not only the cloak, but also the sanctuary in which the cloak was kept. Gradually the meaning broadened further, and cat>dla came to denote any shrine in which sacred things were kept, and then any building or room used lor sacred services or worship. The Latin form capella became the Old French form chapele and then our English word chapel. From the same source comes chaplain, which is derived from the Latin capellanui, '^guardian of the cloak" of St. Martin. 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Nowadays, the chemical consti- tution of several of the endocrincs is so well known, that some of them are synthetically produced in laboratories, amoUK them thy- roxine, and the fluid from the adrenal glands, which is called adrenalin. Mr. Mok : What arc the adrenal glands? Dr. Ruckes : They arc two small bodies, somewhat triangular in shape in human beings and about one inch long at the base, that form small caps on top of the kidneys. Each of them produces two kinds of chemicals. Mr. Mok : How is that possible ? Dr. Ruckes: Because the adrenals are double-layered. The central core produces one kind of fluid, and the enclosing capsule, which is like the shell of a nut, secretes the other. interesting feature of the adrenal glands is that, in proportion to their size, they have the largest blood supply of any body organ. Mk. Mok : What are these two chemicals and what are their functions? Dr. ruckes: The fluid produced by the core regulates the blood pressure ; that is, an increased amount of adrenalin in the blood causes the blood vessels to contract their walls, thereby increasing the pressure of the blood in the vessels. For that reason, adrenal extract or adrenal salts often are used to reduce or stop bleeding. The chemical produced by the outer layer regulates the reproductive glands. Mr. Mok : What do you mean by that ? Dr. Ruckes: You see, the glands of internal secretion are the chemical regulators of our bodies, and they all seem to balance one another chemically in some mysterious way, as I will try to explain later. Let us stick for a moment to the adrenals. W'hen the outer layer fails to function properly, all sorts of strange and distressing changes may occur in the individual. Mr. Mok: For instance? DR. RUCKES: Poor functioning of the adrenal outer layfr explains some cases of bearded ladies, though superabundant hair growth also mav be a vestige, as Dr. Gregory has told you (P. S. M., .ug.. '.^1, p. 20). This beard is only one symptom of an actual rliaitge in sex. Not only does hair appear on the face, chest, and arms, but the entire body shape changes from female to male. The opposite also happens, anti cases are on record of boys almost changing into girls. Similar irregularities sometimes cause the reproductive systems of children from four to six years old to mature. Usually, they die soon. .A striking example of such a "com- pressed life cycle" is that of Thomas Hall, who was born in Willingham, near Cam- bridge, England, in 1741, and died there of extreme old age in September, 1747, at the aiie of not quite six, bald, wrinkled, a pathetic spectacle. On his gravestone, there is this inscription, in Latin : "Stop, traveller, and wondering know here buried lie the remains of Thomas, the son of Thomas and Margaret Hall : who not one year old had the signs of manhood; not three w.is almost four feet high; endued with uncommon strength, a just proportion of parts, and a stupendous voice; before six died as it were of advanced age." This premature development some- times also is due to an abnormality of the pineal gland on top of the brain. Little is definitely know n about this gland except that it once was an eye in the amphibians and the reptiles. In fact, there is one lizard living in New Zealand today that still has this third eye on top of its head. Mr. Mok : I seem to remember that some connection is supposed to exist between the production of adrenalin and fear, anger, and excitement of various kinds. Dr. Ruckes : It appears that the amount of adrenalin in the blood increases as a result of the.se emotions, and as adrenalin regulates the blood pressure, it is probably for that reason that we get hot or cold, red or pale, in these emotional states. Some scientists explain this connection by saying tjat, in case of emer- gency or crisis, the bra..i sends a message to the inner core of the adrenals which, in response to this SOS, pour adrenaUn into the bloodstream. The heartbeat is speeded up, energy generated, the digestion retarded, the sweat glands begin to work, the hair stands up on end, and the man or beast in question is ready for light or flight. But most of the present knowledge about such connec- tions between emotions and gland activity is in the guessing stage. We do know, however, that there is a definite connection between the amount of adrenalin in the blood and physical exercise. This is because adrenalin is necessary to release the stored sugar fuel in various parts of the body, principally the liver, for the production of energy. In other words, w^hen you exercise violently, a great deal of adre- nalin gets into your blood. Mr. Mok : What of the reproductive glands? Dr. Ruckes: As I have told you, they serve two purposes. First, the production of egg cells and sperm cells; and, second, the secretion of hormones that appear to deter- mine the secondary sex characteristics. Mr. Mok : Has the connection between these hormones and physical appearance been established experimentally ? Dr. Ruckes: Certainly. . little while ago, I said that a delicate chemical balance is maintained among the various ductless glands. The peculiar part is that all or some oj the endocrine glands, in addition to their usual functions, seem to possess the ability to counteract the activities of the sex hormones. Mr. Mok: I don't quite understand that. Dr. Ruckes: I don't blame you, for it is a pretty intricate sy.stem. I can best make it clear to you with an experimental example: If we take a normal young male goat and remove its sex glands before the secondary sex characteristics have appeared this goat will assume the secondary sex characteristics of a female goat when it reaches maturity. Mr. Mok : I agree with you that this seems to show that the sex hormones deter- mine both physical and emotional character- istics. But isn't the result here rather a negative one — simply the absence of male characteristics? How does it demonstrate the counter activity of the other endocrines? Dr. Ruckes: This is shown more clearly in a reverse experiment, which also has often been made. When the sex glands are removed from a young female goal, the animal, upon maturity, grows horns and a beard. Mr. Mok : This may be true of goats — but how about people? DR. RUCKES: Of course, surgery is not my line but I do know that hospital records show that similar changes occur in human patients. Now-, these experiments indi- cate that the other endocrines are at work in such cases and mysteriously create the oppo- site attributes. Besides, it indicates that the differentiation between the sexes is not as sharp as is generally believed. Scientifically, the line of demarcation bctw-een male and female is pretty vague, Mr. Mok : .Again, I am afraid that I don't quite follow you. Dr. Ruckes: I mean that in nature the sexes are not (Continued on page i.f.f) 132 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY
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