TWO DUCTLESS GLANDS
CHAPTER III
Two Ductless Glands
The pineal gland and pituitary body are two organs which have not had to undergo extensive changes to bring them up to their present stage. These organs were both present in the bag-shaped body during the Polarian Epoch. Similar to the bud which contains both the stamen and pistil within its ovoid shape, the pineal gland and the pituitary body are the nuclei of the positive and negative forces by means of which our physical growth has developed.
These tiny organs were larger in primitive man than at present, and through them the creative hierarchies termed in the Rosicrucian Philosophy the Lords of Form, have been able to assist the Ego to build its body and bring it up to its present state of perfection.
THE PITUITARY BODY
The pituitary body was so named by medical science because it was formerly thought that the pituite or mucus of the nose came from this body. This idea, however, has been discarded, and although medical science affirms that the real functions of the pituitary body are speculative, still in the past few years it has gained much knowledge which is no longer speculative. This gland is situated in a saddle shaped depression of the sphenoid bone, between the eyes and directly back of the root of the nose, and at the junction of the two optic nerves. It is impossible to give its size, as it changes with age, temperament, and the morals of the person. Gray describes it as a meeting place in the life of the primitive embryo of the hypoblast, which is the innermost layer; the epiblast, the outermost layer, which later develops into the nervous system and the skin; and the mesoblast, which is the middle layer. Within these three layers are contained all the germinal organs of the body which are in formation. Consequently the pituitary body is directly associated with man’s past, present, and future growth and development, for from these three primitive layers within the embryo, the body with its senses, brain, nervous system, and vital organs is developed, and the pituitary body is the central station through which all growth is directed. But the pineal gland is the real power behind it all, the formation of which we will take up later.
The pituitary is a small oval body, consisting of two lobes, the anterior or glandular portion, and the posterior or nerve portion, each having its separate function, also varying in color. The anterior lobe is of a yellowish gray substance intermingled with pink, while the posterior lobe is darker. Medical science has in the past few years made some noteworthy investigations; it claims that the pituitary body is smaller in man than in woman and that its size increases rapidly between birth and puberty; that the anterior lobe has control over the bony structure of the skeleton, while the posterior lobe has rule over the circulation and the fluids of the body. The latter regulates the assimilation of carbohydrates and other foods; renal secretions, body temperature, et cetera.
One of our students who is a doctor stated in a letter to the writer that that he would not think of leaving his office to attend an obstetrical case without having pituitary extract in his case, which when used at the proper time reduces labor pain from one to four hours. This extract, however, in improper hands is a two-edged sword.
The pituitary gland is connected directly with and has rule over the outer sheath of the brain and spinal column, the dura mater. This sheath embodies the great protective mother principle. It covers the brain and spinal cord, protecting them from outer impacts and also feeding the blood vessels and nerves.
THE PINEAL GLAND
The pineal gland is a tiny cone-shaped body varying in size according to the mental and spiritual status of the person. It is named after the pine cone, which it resembles in appearance. It is larger in a child than in an adult and larger in females than in males. Its functions are almost unknown to science. Some claim that it has direct rule over the generative organs and the brain. Extracts of it when injected into the circulation produce a slight dilation of the blood vessels. It is large at birth and is fully developed at puberty. Its structural evolution begins at the age of seven years. Dana and Berkeley in their investigations found this organ small and lacking in substance in children who were backward mentally. Science has also been able to connect this gland with the functions of the interstitial gland and of the brain, but these conclusions are only speculative.
The pineal gland is held in place by the pia mater, a thin membrane or sheath surrounding the brain and spinal column, from which the entire central nervous system is fed, and from which many little nerve roots branch off between the spinal vertebrae. The dura mater is the outermost sheath while the pia mater is the innermost. The pineal gland has the appearance of a small male organ and rests upon what is termed by science the quadrigeminae, four rounded eminences placed in two pairs. The two lower ones are called the buttocks, the two upper the testes, and the tiny pineal gland rests in the center of them. The pituitary body is connected with the dura mater, the mother principle, on the anterior side of the third ventricle. The pineal gland, the male or positive organ, is connected with the pia mater and is located at the posterior end of the third ventricle; consequently this tiny cavity or ventricle is of great importance to man as we shall see later.