ABSTRACT
Location: Above the kidney (suprarenal). The old books use the picturesque notion of a “cocked hat” on top of
the kidney to describe the appearance and location of the gland. The term suprarenal, meaning above the kidney, was originally used for humans. In contrast, the term adrenal, meaning before or in front of the kidney, is used for animals, because experimentation was first done on animals, whose walking position placed the gland in front of, not on top of, the kidney. Size: 2 cm wide, 5 cm long, 1 cm thick. Weight: 4 gm each. Structure: Comprised of a cortex and medulla. In the adult, the cortex is about 90% of the entire gland. Beneath the external capsule are the following:
• Zona Glomerulosa (ZG)—15% of the cortex • Zona Fasiculata (ZF)—75% of the cortex • Zona Reticularis (ZR)—10% of the cortex.
