RF Annual Report - 1935 - The Rockefeller Foundation

124 THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION
the adrenal glands and "is automatically discharged
into the circulation and serves to reinforce
the activity of the sympathetic nervous
system, whereby the body is placed in condition
for activity to meet the demands of the occasion..
.. , The stressful experience demands action.
Large muscle masses come into activity and this
can be continued for only a short time without
mobilization of the physiologic resources.
The
heart begins to pump more forcefully, bringing
more fuel material and oxygen to the muscles
and carrying away the augmented wastes. The
fuel as it is used up
is replenished from the
stored sugar (glycogen) of the liver. The air passages
dilate to permit freer breathing. Constriction
of the blood vessels of the skin and the abdominal
organs increases the blood supply available
to the muscles and the directing nervous
system. The digestive functions go into abeyance
until the emergency is over. In short, the
whole animal is re-integrated for muscular activity.
The picture could be supplemented by other
supporting details but these major features will
serve to suggest how a discharge of adrenine aids
the animal in meeting the emergency."
The
series of brilliant experiments which
established this emergency theory constituted
one of the early and impressive instances of the
close relationship which may exist between the
© 2003 The Rockefeller Foundation