Addison was one of the famous physicians and scientists of Guy's Hospital in London, describing not only adrenal gland insufficiency (which came to be known as Addison's Disease) but also the features of pernicious anaemia. 2) presented a paper on the clinical features of patients with adrenal disease. The central physiological role for the glands was not identified until 1849, when Thomas Addison (Fig.

Many 17th and 18th century investigators felt that the adrenals altered the blood in some way, but their true function remained unknown until the 19th century.įig.2: Thomas AddisonIn 1805 Cuvier defined the medulla and cortex of the adrenal gland, but the first complete description of the microscopic anatomy of the adrenal gland was by Albert von Kölliker (1817-1905) in 1852, after improvements in microscope technology. The Academy of Sciences in Bordeaux conducted an essay competition in 1716 to determine the function of the adrenal glands, but none of the entries were considered worthy of the prize. This was a surprisingly prescient suggestion as it mirrors the current concept of the neuroendocrine function of the adrenal medulla today. Highmore suggested in 1651 that the suprarenals act to absorb exudates from the large vessels, and Thomas Wharton in 1656 suggested that the adrenals took something from the nerves and secreted it into the circulation. In his publication of 1563 he described the 'glandulae renibus incumbentes' and thought they had been overlooked, but in 1586, Piccolomini, who named the glands the suprarenals, disputed whether they were of any importance and felt they were merely 'renal excrescences'.

He only described the left gland in his writings, and thought it to be accessory renal tissue, but while the gland is described as 'loose flesh,' he in fact clearly described the left adrenal vein connected to the left renal vein.įig.1: Bartholomeus EustachiusThe first anatomist to give a detailed description of the human adrenal glands, was Bartholomeus Eustachius (1520-1574), who was professor at the Collegio della Sapienza in Rome (Fig.

130-201) appears to have given the first description of the adrenal glands, having encountered them in his numerous dissections of animals.

History of Adrenal Surgery Adrenal anatomyĬlaudius Galen (c.

Adrenal medulla hormones function