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FOR those interested in the human personality, possibly the
most diverting medical information of recent years is that
concerning the glands. Their influence upon our personality is
so marked, and our mental, emotional and physical well-being
so closely synchronised with their activity that we cannot
afford to ignore them.
Despite many years of research they still remain largely
cloaked in mystery. But it is known that excessive or
deficient activity of any one gland can produce a glandular
type. And in producing these types, it is generally accepted
that the Pineal, Pituitary, Thyroid, Thymus, Adrenals and
Gonads are the most important.
The completely balanced human being is so rare that you
yourself may be a glandular type. One or two of your glands
may be a little more active, or a little more sluggish than
the others, thus pushing particular aspects of your
personality and mentality to the forefront.
PINEAL-CENTRED TYPE
The pineal is a tiny organ placed approximately at the
centre of the head. In size it is little bigger than a grain
of wheat. If comparatively little is known about the glands as
a whole, the pineal is the most mysterious of them all.
Descartes described it as the seat of the soul, and some
authorities do claim that it is in some way responsible for
imagination and the easy association of ideas. In other words
it might be called the bridge between the conscious and the
subconscious mind.
When this gland is above average in activity it has a marked
influence on the imaginative faculties. If one were a
pineal-centred person, then one might easily be labelled "psychic,"
for one would see the unobvious in life far more than most.
One would have an excellent memory, be precocious. Also, such
a person would undoubtedly be much attracted to the opposite
sex, but in an idealistic and poetical manner.
In this group we have those who achieved the heights of
spiritual love and poetical insight.
PITUITARY-CENTRED TYPE
If you are one in whom the pituitary is extremely active,
you will again have distinctive features. You will be tall and
angular, usually highly intelligent, with large long bones
that are not covered by a great amount of flesh. In fact, you
will tend to be rather slim, firm fleshed and with irregular
features. Not only will you have a rather aggressive attitude
to all your pursuits, but this aggressiveness will colour your
sexual and mental life too.
The hyperpituitary type is well sexed, alert, of positive
attitude, and with enormous energy.
WITH YOUR GLANDS
This gland has two lobes or portions to it, lying as it does
near the front of the brain at the root of the nose and above
the palate. Both lobes have to be active in the balanced man
and woman. But in the man, the frontal lobe should dominate if
the man is not to develop female tendencies of emotionalism,
soft, round features and retiring disposition. The opposite is
true of women, and the result is an aggressive, hard-fleshed
woman, lacking the sympathies and sensitivity of femininity.
This may typify some types of career women.
ADRENAL-CENTRED TYPE
The adrenals are seated just above the kidneys in the lower
back. In one sense these two glands can be called the glands
of conflict. They can explode energy into the muscular system
in emergencies and crises. They are stimulated through fear,
anger, pain, etc., and enable us to make extraordinary
physical effort in times of stress. It is interesting to note
that savage animals such as the tiger have the outer body of
their adrenals developed to a far greater degree than timid
animals.
The adrenal centred person is usually dark-skinned,
sometimes red-haired and with an enormous driving force. As
the adrenals cause moles, such persons may be subject to them.
These people often have a great depth of dramatic force they
can draw on to impress, or even control others. Thus they may
be called the slave drivers of the world, their fiery
temperament making all but the strong-willed obey their
desires.
When there is an overactive adrenal action, the man's energy
and aggressiveness becomes cruelty and intolerance. However,
if this activity is balanced by good action in the other
glands, such men will be the great thinkers, the man of power
who uses it wisely. This gives great emotional range and
feeling, and this brings the power of the man into sympathy
with his fellow beings.
If a woman has greatly active adrenals, she will often be
lacking in the physical attributes of femininity, such as
curves and hairlessness.
Dr. M. W. Kapp, in his book Glands-Our In visible Guardians
mentions a point of interest to educators. He says that young
children often lack sufficient adrenal action. Because of this
they will lack the necessary iodine and phosphorus supply from
the thyroid, which aids in mental registration of impressions.
Thus they do not have the physical ability to learn easily.
These same children, when the sex glands become active, and
stimulate the adrenals, often surprise themselves with their
new ability to study and learn.
GONAD-CENTRED TYPE
Our body is not a collection of organs working separately,
but a collection of separate organs working together. Each
organ is influenced by every other organ in some measure, and
this is especially true of the glands. Although we have taken
them separately, the sex organs for instance, which in the
woman are her breasts, ovaries and uterus, and in the man,
testes, lingam and prostate gland, are intimately linked with
the other glands, and in fact the whole body. For instance the
thymus seems to retard sexual maturing, whereas the adrenals
accelerate, and the thyroid and pituitary enliven.
The influence of the sex organs can be seen where persons
have been castrated (been made eunuchs) before puberty. In
these cases the men develop no hair on their face or body,
voice remains high, and their mentality and body movements are
sluggish. They are undependable, suspicious and lazy. In the
female her body grows hair, and she develops the male
characteristics of deeper voice, flat chest and square hips
In normal life these characteristics remain true in some
degree where the sex organs are not sufficiently active.
Repression of normal sexual activity often starts a similar
process.
As for the balanced men and women of this type, they are
described under "Ideal Types."
THYMUS-CENTRED TYPE
As already mentioned, the thymus has a great influence upon
the sex characteristics and sexual life of each person. It
lies at the base of the throat at the upper chest, and in
early childhood (up to six or seven) is very large and active.
Sometimes, however, it does not become as inactive as it
should, and we then have hyperthymus persons.
These people carry childhood traits into adult life. Their
skin is soft and rounded, there is little sex differentiation,
as the organs have been retarded in their development. Thus
the thymus-centred male will lack the aggressiveness and
dominant emotional attitude of the balanced man, while the
women seem sexless and lack the retiring disposition.
The thymus-centred person is often one in whom unbalanced
attraction towards his or her own sex is a pathological
situation, and not a development from mental or emotional
disturbance. The sex organs of such people have been retarded
in their normal development, and thus their body is not
receiving sufficient male or female hormones to polarise and
stabilise them in their own sex.
One also finds that their moral nature does not become
mature, and also, because of a pathological cause, they can
sometimes become inveterate liars or even criminals.
THYROID-CENTRED TYPE
The thyroid is situated in the throat, lying each side of
the windpipe. It is linked intimately with the brain, sex
glands and adrenals. It is a gland of action and mental
activity. At the extremes of thyroid action we have the
terribly nervous and energetic person who cannot sit down,
with slightly bulging eyes. Their skin is flushed; they have
symmetrical features, even teeth; and they are temperamental.
Although active C and energetic, they are susceptible to shock
and extremes of worry and grief unless balanced by the other
glands.
At the other end of the scale, where the thyroid is lacking
in activity, the person tends to be short, obese, with a
marked lack of energy, mental and physical. The skin is
coarse, and the general impression is an unhealthy one. They
lack any personal magnetism the hyperthyroid may have, and
lack also a good circulation and zest for life.
IDEAL TYPES
It is obvious that with the types described above, there
must be countless variations and degrees of glandular
activity, producing innumerable types of personality and
physical appearance. Also, in thought at least, there must
bean ideal type of balanced man and women.
In describing these, the man would have all the male
distinctions of hair on face and body, lean muscular physique,
deep voice, square hips, tough skin and powerful bone
structure. He will be well sexed, but not given to excess in
its expression. His energy, mental responsiveness and dramatic
faculty will give him much personal magnetism. Not only will
he have a ready humour, but will at any time be ready for
seriousness, and sometimes even tears. Although aggressive,
his character will be balanced by his striving for what is
best in himself and others, and by his sympathy and
understanding of those around him.
He will be respected and liked by both sexes. He will also
realise in himself the energy to persist and succeed in his
chosen field, and the confidence to attempt his highest ideals
and obtain his desires. Such a man would, through ready
contact with his whole nature, make an appeal to its visually,
emotionally and spiritually. Possibly we might list the late
President Kennedy as a man to till this role.
The ideal woman, besides having the last-mentioned appeal to
its, would have a flesh plump soft skin, hairless face,
rounded full hips and breasts, high voice, weaker muscular
system and lighter bones. Although no less intelligent than
the man, her outlook would be more sensitive and social, less
commercial and aggressive than the man's.
She is the backbone and background of the family and race.
Her personal culture, sympathies and refinement have the power
to bring her man to a realisation of his finest art in his
chosen field. She is the greatest power the governments of the
world have, to produce a new race; for out of man comes woman
-and out of woman comes man.
While it is true that the state of our glands and other
organs are in many cases directly responsible for the way we
think, the way we feel and our appetites; it is also trite
that our feelings, thoughts, and acts also directly influence
our glands and body. If we are nice to them, they are nice to
us. So here are a few things most of its can do to bring our
system to greater balance and harmony.
SMOKING affects the gonads
adversely, and because of the carbon monoxide we inhale, ruins
our red blood cells.
DRINKING alcohol stimulates
the glands to activity because it is a poison that must be got
rid of. But the overstimulation thus caused helps destroy the
very delicate balance of the glandular system.
DEEP REGULAR NOSE BREATHING
stimulates the pituitary to a healthy action, as does
harmonious resonant singing.
FEAR, stress, worry and
tenseness over-work the adrenals, destroy the correct
digestive functioning, and generally harm the body. Set aside
a time to relax, to listen to beautiful music, to read
elevating thoughts and to practice inner peace.
SEX should not be a casual
pleasure, it is a creative force. Used without thought, or
repressed continually, it damages our normal creativity and
the links of human sympathy. Try to follow the sex urge only
when it is led into activity by a feeling of love for one's
partner.
If one but uses common sense, eats wholesome foods that are
untampered with, drinks plenty of fluids, breathes correctly
and often takes exercise, life and one's glands will be one's
friends for many happy years.
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