Studies in the secretion of the pancreas and salivary glands

Abstract

In recent years considerable attention has been paid by various workers to the cytological constituents of various gland cells. In invertebrates lolloping the lead of Parat and Painlevé (1924), the so-called salivary glands of chironomous have been the favourite objects of study (Beams and Goldschmidt, 1930 ; Gatenby, 1932), while in vertebrates the pancreas has been more usually chosen (Parat, 1928 ; Covell, 1928 ; Ludford, 1930 ; Beams, 1930 ; Gatenby, 1931). The chief object of these researches has been to discover what relationship, if any, exists between the Golgi apparatus and the cell bodies revealed by intravitam staining with neutral red (so-called vacuome of Parat), but the conclusions reached have been in every case conflicting. In consideration of the great diversity of opinion existing between these workers it was hoped in the present instance that a reinvestigation of the cytology of the pancreas together with the salivary glands might throw light on the subject, since the problem in each must be fundamentally the same. The objects of the present work were then:— (a) complete morphological study of the Golgi apparatus in the cells of these glands. (b) A study of the structures revealed intra-vitam by neutral red. (C) A determination of the relationship between these structures and the known cell constituents. (d) A study of the various secretory stages in the cell activity.