Reaction of the Adrenal Cortex to Physical and Emotional Stress in College Oarsmen

The Harvard–Yale four-mile boat race and the preceding two weeks of intensive training of crews presented an opportunity to study the response of healthy young men to stress, and eosinophil response to actual stress situations has been described.

Abstract

CHANGES in the level of circulating eosinophils after administration of adrenal cortical hormones, ACTH or epinephrine have been accepted as an index of adrenal cortical activity.1 Hormones elaborated by the adrenal cortex are known to be links in the physiologic response to stress. The eosinophil response to actual stress situations such as hypoglycemia, surgery, trauma and others2 3 4 has been described. The stress situations studied, however, have been as a rule abnormal and artificial.The Harvard–Yale four-mile boat race and the preceding two weeks of intensive training of crews presented an opportunity to study the response of healthy young men to . . .