the.com/gland
a tiny chemical despot that bosses your body around without ever asking permission
means A gland is an organ in the body that produces and releases chemical substances such as hormones, sweat, or saliva.
from From Latin glandula, meaning 'little acorn' — the diminutive of glans, 'acorn' — because early anatomists thought these small, rounded swellings of tissue looked like the nut. The same acorn lurks in 'glans' (still an anatomical term) and is a cousin to Greek balanos, also 'acorn.' English borrowed it through French glande in the medieval period.
- size deceit
- pituitary is pea-sized but rules every other gland
- sweat army
- skin holds roughly four million sweat glands
- adrenaline source
- adrenal glands trigger the famous fight-or-flight surge
- thyroid throttle
- controls how fast your entire body burns fuel
- pineal mystery
- Descartes called it the seat of the soul
pituitary gland — controls hormone production in humans, located at base of brain
thyroid gland — produces thyroid hormones regulating metabolism in the neck
pancreas — produces insulin and glucagon, regulating blood sugar in humans
adrenal gland — produces adrenaline and cortisol, sits atop each kidney