In order to study the morphological changes in the adreno-cortical functions in various conditions, normal and hypophysectomized male and female rats were used. The effects of various stressor and various steroid hormones on the adrenal gland were investigated histologically and histochemically. The functional relationships between the anterior pituitary and the adreno-cortical cells were also described.
Chapter 1. Functional Morphology of normal male and female rats and the effects of gonadectomy on the ad renal cortex.
In young rats, there were no histological and histochemical differences observed between the male and female adrenal cortex. But in adult rats, the adrenal of the female was larger than that of the male, and the sudanophilic granules were finer in the former than in the latter. In young rats, the transitional zone (sudanophobic zone) existed in both sexes, but in adult females, this zone was not observed. Following gonadectomy, the male adrenal weight was increased, but the female adrenal weight decreased slightly. The sexual dimorphism that is clearly observed in normal adult rats, became indistinct following gonadectomy. From these facts, the author also suggested that the adrenal function of adult female rats is greater than of adult male rats. And this functional dimorphism is probably due to endogenous estrogen in female rats.
Generally, the sudanophilic granules of the adrenal cortex parallel Schiff reaction, Schultz reaction for cholesterol and the birefringent particles in the normal rat. But these histochemical findings did not always parallel the various functional conditions.
Chapter 2. The relationship between adrenocortical function and the anterior pituitary.
The author investigated the morphological and histochemical changes of the rat's adrenal cortex during adrenal hypersecretion following ACTH injection and during hyposecretion following hypophysectomy.
1) The adrenal weight increased under prolonged administration of ACTH. And the adrenal weight seemed to be a good functional index in the prolonged experiments.
2) The transitional zone (sudanopz hobe zone) always disappeared when the adrenal cortex was hyperfunctioning. On the other hand, this zone became broader during cortical hypofunction. From the appearance of this zone, one could know the adrenal cortical functional state.
3) Using colchicine, the author observed mitotic activities of cortical cells during ACTH administration. The mitotic activities of the cortical cell were most frequently observed in the outer fasciculata and the glomerulosa.
4) Following single injections of ACTH, the sudanophilic granules were almost depleted from the zona fasciculata and the zona reticularis, and the cells of the zona fasciculata showed hypertrophy, while the zona glomerulosa did not show any changes histochemically. This finding may support Deane's concept (zonal theory). But with prolonged injection of large amounts of ACTH, the sudanophilic granules of the zona glomerulosa were also depleted, and the glomerulosa cells were also hypertrophied. From this experimental result and our other observations, the author made the following conclusions. During overwhelming cortical hypersecretion, the demand for fascicular function is increased and the cells of the zona glomerulosa are transformed into fasciculata cells. Therefore the zona glomerulosa and the zona fasciculata have the same cells of origin, and are not independent cells.
Chapter 3. Morphological changes of the adrenal cortex under various stressfull conditions.
The histological and histochemical changes of the adrenal cortex under stress generally seemed to be non-specific reactions and similar to the reaction following ACTH injection. But some of the stressors caused peculiar changes in the adrenal cortex. After prolonged administration of adrenalin, many exhaustive vacuoles were seen in the zona fasciculata.

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For the elucidation of Staub-Elfect (S-E) on the course of blood sugar following the double administrations of glucose, it would be most essential to have informations with regard to the following items :
1. The amounts of uptaken and deposited carbohydrate in the liver and in the other tissues (the muscle and skin) after the glucose injections. The comparison of the total amount of carbohydrate deposited with the first and second portions of glucose injections should there be made.
2. The amounts of excreted sugar into the urine during the tolerance tests. The estimations of the carbohydrate figures of the liver and the tissues (by the method of Yamamoto), or the urine sugar after the glucose injections were carried out with the normal (S-E positive), phosphor- (S-E markedly negative), or alloxan-poisoned (S -E indefinite) rabbits. From the determination of the total amount of carbohydrate in the liver and tissues before and after one hour (or two hours) of glucose injection, we are able to know the amount of deposited carbohydrate in the liver and tissues. The results are as follows :
(1) The total amount of deposited carbohydrate in the normal liver was markedly increased after the injection of sugar, and in the second portion this was significantly higher than in the first.
In the phosphor- and alloxan-rabbits, however, there were marked decrease of the total carbohydrate deposit, especially following the second portion.
(2) The uptake and the deposition of sugar in the muscle and skin following the injection of glucose were very small, compared with the liver.
The total amounts of deposited carbohydrate in the muscle and skin in the case of normal or alloxan-rabbits after the second portion of sugar injection were found to be moderately increased, while the phosphor-rabbit showed a better deposition in the first injection than in the second.
(3) From these findings, it is evident than in the case of normal animal the S-E was positive, while in the case of phosphor-rabbit strongly negative.
(4) From the uptake and the deposition of injected sugar in the liver, we may expect in the alloxan rabbit a marked negative S-E after the glucose injection,like that we have seen in the phosphor-animal, but in the fact the positive or slightly negative S-E figure in the case of alloxan rabbit was found.
As the reason for this descrepancy we may assume that the highly excretion of urine sugar after the glucose injection in the alloxan rabbit, especially in the second portion of sugar injection, may inhibit the blood sugar curve in the second portion of glucose injection (in the alloxan rabbit the double amounts of sugar was excreted into the urine, compared with the case of phosphor rabbit). Moreover, in the case of alloxan rabbit, the increased deposition by second portion of injected glucose in the muscle and skin may affect to lower the blood sugar curve.
(5) Based upon these results as described above, we may suggest on the nature of S-E effect on the blood sugar curve following the glucose injection in two divided portions, firstly that the increased amounts of total carbohydrate deposit of liver by the second portion of sugar injection is most essential, secondly that the high excretion of urine sugar, especially after the second portion of sugar injection, and the increased amount of carbohydrate deposition in the muscle and skin after the second portion of glucose injection would act inhibitory on the rise of blood sugar curve after the second portion of sugar injection.

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