Glandular Types

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.