The Endocrine Glands

All glands in the human body can be divided into glands with ducts and ductless. Ductless glands have no duct but they make a secretion which they pour into the blood stream. These secretions are called internal secretions or hormones, and glands which produce them are also called endocrine glands.

The chief ductless glands are: the thyroid gland, the adrenal glands and the pituitary gland.

There are also other important glands which produce internal secretions as well as other substances, e.g. the pancreas, the liver and the reproductive glands.

The thyroid gland lies in the front of the neck. It consists of two lobes lying on either side, joined by a narrow band which crosses the trachea immediately below the larynx. The gland is well supplied with blood vessels and consists essentially of secreting cells. The cells secrete thyroxin, which passes into the circulation. Thyroxin controls the general metabolism or activity of the body tissues.

The adrenal glands are two small triangular glands lying one over each kidney. They consist of two parts, cortex and medulla. The outer part produces a secretion which affects sex. Oversecretion produces masculinity in the female and in the male it produces too early development of the male reproductive organs.

The medulla produces a very important secretion called adrenalin, It secreted amount increases in excitement and strong emotions such as fear or anger. The adrenals are therefore sometimes called the glands of “flight and fight”.

The pituitary gland (hypophysis) is a small gland about the size of a pea and yet is of great importance. It lies in the pituitary fossa in the base of the skull. It consists of an anterior and a posterior lobe.

The anterior lobe is the larger and produces a number of important hormones affecting growth and sexual development and the functioning of the ductless glands, particularly the thyroid and the adrenal glands. Undersecretion of this lobe in childhood causes dwarfing. Oversecretion causes overgrowth or gigantism. In the adult this oversecretion causes overgrowth of the head, hands, and feet, particularly affecting the lower jaw. This condition is known as acromegaly.

The posterior lobe produces the secretion known as pituitrin. This stimulates involuntary muscle and therefore contracts the blood vessels and raises blood pressure, stimulates peristalsis, contracts the uterus; it affects the use of water by the body.

Exercise 6. Answer the questions:

1. How are glands in the human body classified?

2. What is hormone?

3. What are the main ductless glands?

4. What is the structure of the thyroid gland?

5. What does thyroxin control?

6. What is the structure of the adrenal glands?

7. When is adrenalin secreted?

8. What is the structure of the pituitary gland?

9. What does the pituitary gland affect?

Exercise 7. I. Form new words with the prefix OVER meaning “понад, вверх”. Translate them:

Model: over+ dosage →overdosage (передозування)

weight, cooling, heating, work, salt, sensitive, sleep, use, talkative, curious, load, excitement, dose, estimate, eating, growth, development, action.

II. Form new words with the prefix UNDER meaning „під, нижче".Translate them.

Model: under+ dose →underdose (недостатня доза)

estimate, salted, developed, weight, graduate, ventilation, act, nourished

Exercise 8. Form adjectives using the suffix –LESS meaning “відсутність”. Translate them. Model: power + less—powerless (без силий)

Care, duct, fear, hope, pain, color, taste, use, harm, meaning, shame.

Exercise 9. Match the terms with their definitions:

Exercise 10. Translate into English:

Головні залози, які не мають вивідних протоків; страх або гнів; вражати рост та статевий розвиток; скорочення кров’яних судин; струмінь крові; кількість, що секретується; втеча і боротьба; вузька стрічка; залози репродуктивної системи; постачатися судинами крові; трикутна залоза; карликовість; передня доля; задня доля; по обидві боки.

Exercise 11. Put the words from the table into an appropriate gap:

Your endocrine system includes … throughout your body. These glands make …. If your hormone levels are too high or too low, you may have …. Hormone diseases also occur if your body does not respond to hormones the way it is supposed to. Stress, infection and changes in your blood's fluid and electrolyte balance can also … hormone levels. In the United States, the most common endocrine disease is …. There are many others. They are usually treated by … how much hormone your body makes. Hormone … can help if the problem is too little of a hormone.

Exercise 12. Open the brackets using the correct form of the verb. Translate the sentences:

1. Thyroxin (to control) the general metabolism or activity of the body tissues

2. The patient already (to treat) by the doctor from pneumonia.

3. The wound is usually dressed by the nurse.

4. Blood pressure (to take) now.

5. Skin irritation (to cause) by overdosage of the drug.

6. The anterior lobe of the hypothesis (to produce) a number of important hormones

7. I (to treat) at this clinic for acute pneumonia last week.

8. We were said that the direction of the nerve fibers already (to establish) experimentally.

9. The thyroid gland (to supply) well with blood vessels.

Exercise 13. Make up questions to the underlined words:

1. The hormones are delivered to various organs.

2. The thyroid gland is well supplied with blood vessels.

3. The patient has been recommended to consult his pharmacist for professional advice on medicines.

4. Many hormones affect metabolism.

5. The chemical composition of some hormones is well-known.

6. Each gland consists of glandular epithelial tissue.

7. The hormones affect the functions of the different parts of the nervous system.

8. The pituitary gland is about the size of a pea.

9. The outer part of the adrenal glands produces a secretion which affects sex.

Exercise 14. Arrange the following sentences in a correct order to describe the following term. Use them in describing the terms:

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