Abstract
While a number of writers 1 have called attention to the presence in man of a multilocular adipose tissue similar to the so-called hibernating gland of animals, convincing evidence of the structural similarity between these tissues does not seem to have been brought forth.
Gross and microscopic preparations of multilocular adipose tissue in the perirenal fat of a new born and of a child 1 1/2 years old are demonstrated with similar specimens from both the white rat and the American marmot, showing great similarity between this type of adipose tissue from all three sources. Its glandular appearance is striking until examined microscopically. The evidence indicates that these multilocular fat cells are not developmental stages of ordinary fat.
The history, distribution and functional significance of this brown gland-like fatty tissue leads to the conclusion that there are not sufficient data to warrant taking seriously the suggestion that it may be an endocrine organ of importance in deficiency diseases.
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