1. THE PITUITARY GLAND
93
gion being solely vascularized by a branch of the internal carotid which
forms a vascular plexus between the neurohypophysis and the pars intermedia (Gorbman, 1965b). Blood is drained from this region by a ventral
hypophysial vein.
Obviously, these ancient animals have highly peculiar vascular supplies to the pituitary. In hagfishes there seems to be neither neural nor
vascular links between the neurohypophysis and adenohypophysis, while
in lampreys the pars distalis is similarly isolated from the neural component but there appears to be the possibility of neurohypophysial-pars
intermedia communication via the nerve terminations on the vascular
plexus between the two regions (see above). The functional significance
of the extraordinary hypothalamo-neurohypophysial portal link in myxinoids is totally obscure.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are greatly indebted to Dr. Madeleine Olivereau, who placed her unrivaled
knowledge of the pituitary at our disposal and provided the photographs illustrating
her experimental work on the eel. Dr. T. Kerr and Professor J. M. Dodd kindly
helped on points concerning chondrosteans and elasmobranchs, respectively. Mrs.
P. V. Gaitens made many beautiful histological preparations of pituitary material
from Poecilia, Anguilla, Amia, and Lepisosteus, and Dr. W. R. Fleming and his
students generously provided specimens of the last two fishes. We thank Mr. M. P.
Hancock for his work on the drawings and photographs and Mr. G. Hargreaves for
valuable help in preparation of the bibliography. The unpublished ohervations described in the text were supported by grants from the S.R.C. We thank the publishers
of Zeitschrift fur Zellforschung, Comptes Rendus des Scdances de la Societe’ de Biologie, Paris, and General and Comparative Endocrinology for permission to reproduce
published illustrations from papers by Dr. M. Olivereau, and the publishers of
Archives d’dnatomie Microscopique et de Morphologie Expe’rimentab for permission
to reproduce Figure 25 from a paper by Dr. E. Follenius.
REFERENCES
Abraham, M., Yasouv, A,, and Blanc, N. (1967). Induction experimentale de la
ponte chez Mugil capito confine en eau douce. Compt. Rend. D265, 818-821.
Adam, H. ( 1960). Hypophyse und hypothalamo-neurohypophysares Neurosekretsystem bei den Cyclostomen Myxine glutinosa und Bdellostoma stoutii. Zool. Anz.
Adam, H. ( 1963). The pituitary gland. In “Biology of Myxine” (A. Brodal and R.
Fange, eds.), pp. 457-476. Oslo Univ. Press, Oslo.
Arvy, L., Fontaine, M., and Gabe, M. (1954). Action des solutions saline hypertoniques sur le syst&me hypothalamo-hypophysaire chez Phoxinus laevis Agass.
et chez Anguilla anguilla L. Compt. Rend. SOC. Biol. 148, 1759-1761.
ANY, L., Fontaine, M., and Gabe, M. (1957). Fonctionnement thyroidien et neurosecrbtion hypothalamique chez la Truite ( Salmo gairdneri Rich.) J. Physiol.
(Paris) 49, 685497.
Arvy, L., Fontaine, M., and Gabe, M. ( 1959). La voie neurosecr&trice hypothalamoliypophysaire des TeEost&ns. J. Physiol. (Paris ) 51, 1031-1085.
Suppl. 23, 157-171.
93
gion being solely vascularized by a branch of the internal carotid which
forms a vascular plexus between the neurohypophysis and the pars intermedia (Gorbman, 1965b). Blood is drained from this region by a ventral
hypophysial vein.
Obviously, these ancient animals have highly peculiar vascular supplies to the pituitary. In hagfishes there seems to be neither neural nor
vascular links between the neurohypophysis and adenohypophysis, while
in lampreys the pars distalis is similarly isolated from the neural component but there appears to be the possibility of neurohypophysial-pars
intermedia communication via the nerve terminations on the vascular
plexus between the two regions (see above). The functional significance
of the extraordinary hypothalamo-neurohypophysial portal link in myxinoids is totally obscure.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are greatly indebted to Dr. Madeleine Olivereau, who placed her unrivaled
knowledge of the pituitary at our disposal and provided the photographs illustrating
her experimental work on the eel. Dr. T. Kerr and Professor J. M. Dodd kindly
helped on points concerning chondrosteans and elasmobranchs, respectively. Mrs.
P. V. Gaitens made many beautiful histological preparations of pituitary material
from Poecilia, Anguilla, Amia, and Lepisosteus, and Dr. W. R. Fleming and his
students generously provided specimens of the last two fishes. We thank Mr. M. P.
Hancock for his work on the drawings and photographs and Mr. G. Hargreaves for
valuable help in preparation of the bibliography. The unpublished ohervations described in the text were supported by grants from the S.R.C. We thank the publishers
of Zeitschrift fur Zellforschung, Comptes Rendus des Scdances de la Societe’ de Biologie, Paris, and General and Comparative Endocrinology for permission to reproduce
published illustrations from papers by Dr. M. Olivereau, and the publishers of
Archives d’dnatomie Microscopique et de Morphologie Expe’rimentab for permission
to reproduce Figure 25 from a paper by Dr. E. Follenius.
REFERENCES
Abraham, M., Yasouv, A,, and Blanc, N. (1967). Induction experimentale de la
ponte chez Mugil capito confine en eau douce. Compt. Rend. D265, 818-821.
Adam, H. ( 1960). Hypophyse und hypothalamo-neurohypophysares Neurosekretsystem bei den Cyclostomen Myxine glutinosa und Bdellostoma stoutii. Zool. Anz.
Adam, H. ( 1963). The pituitary gland. In “Biology of Myxine” (A. Brodal and R.
Fange, eds.), pp. 457-476. Oslo Univ. Press, Oslo.
Arvy, L., Fontaine, M., and Gabe, M. (1954). Action des solutions saline hypertoniques sur le syst&me hypothalamo-hypophysaire chez Phoxinus laevis Agass.
et chez Anguilla anguilla L. Compt. Rend. SOC. Biol. 148, 1759-1761.
ANY, L., Fontaine, M., and Gabe, M. (1957). Fonctionnement thyroidien et neurosecrbtion hypothalamique chez la Truite ( Salmo gairdneri Rich.) J. Physiol.
(Paris) 49, 685497.
Arvy, L., Fontaine, M., and Gabe, M. ( 1959). La voie neurosecr&trice hypothalamoliypophysaire des TeEost&ns. J. Physiol. (Paris ) 51, 1031-1085.
Suppl. 23, 157-171.