Bodily changes in pain, hunger, fear, and rage : $b an account of recent researches into the function of emotional excitementCannon, Walter B. (Walter Bradford)
Science
Bodily changes in pain, hunger, fear, and rage : $b an account of recent researches into the function of emotional excitement
Cannon, Walter B. (Walter Bradford)
Emotions; Mental health; Mind and body
From the foregoing results it is reasonable to conclude that just as
in the cat, dog, and rabbit, so also in man, emotional excitement
produces temporary increase of blood sugar.
The Rôle of the Adrenal Glands in Emotional Glycosuria
Since artificial stimulation of the splanchnic nerves produces
glycosuria,[66] and since major emotions, such as rage and fright,
are attended by nervous discharges along splanchnic pathways,
glycosuria as an accompaniment of emotional excitement would
naturally be expected to occur. To what extent the adrenal glands
which, as already mentioned, are stimulated to increased secretion by
excitement, might play a part in this process, has been in dispute.
Removal of these glands or cutting of the nerve fibres supplying
them, according to some observers,[67] prevents glycosuria after
puncture of the fourth ventricle of the brain (the “sugar puncture,”
which typically induces glycosuria) and also after stimulation of the
splanchnics.[68] On the other hand, Wertheimer and Battez[69] have
stated that removal of the glands does not abolish the effects of
sugar puncture in the cat. It was questionable, therefore, whether
removal of the adrenal glands would affect emotional glycosuria.
Evidence on this point I secured with Shohl and Wright in
observations on three animals in which the adrenals were removed
aseptically under ether. The animals selected had all become quickly
excited on being bound to the holder, and had manifested glycosuria
after about an hour of confinement. In the operation, to avoid
discharge of adrenin by handling, the adrenal veins were first
tied, and then the glands freed from their attachments and removed
as quickly and with as little manipulation as possible. In one cat
the entire operation was finished in twenty minutes. In two of the
cats a small catheter was introduced into the urethra through an
incision, so that the bladder could be emptied at any time.
In all three cases urine that was free from sugar was obtained
soon after the operation. Although the animals deprived of their
adrenals manifested a general lessening of muscular tone, they
still displayed much of their former rage or excitement when bound.
Indeed, one was more excited after removal of the adrenals than
before. That the animals might not be excessively cooled they were
kept warm with coverings or an electric heating pad. Although they
were now bound for periods from two to three times as long as the
periods required formerly to cause glycosuria, no trace of sugar
was found in the urine in any instance. The evidence thus secured
tends, therefore, to support the view that the adrenal glands
perform an important contributory rôle in the glycosuria resulting
from splanchnic stimulation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account