Adrenal Cortex, Development, Anatomy, Physiology

The adrenal gland was first described by Eustachius in 1563 and its importance was later recognized by the work of Thomas Addison in 1855 and Brown-Sιquard in 1856. The latter performed a series of bilateral adrenalectomies in dogs, demonstrating that these endocrine glands were necessary for life. In the midst of the 19th century, newly emerged histochemical techniques showed that the adrenal consists of a cortex and medulla and have divergent albeit interdependent cellular and functional properties.