GLANDS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

     Important in maintaining health and vigor and in carrying on the work of the body are several organs of different sizes called glands.  Each of these glands produces a special kind of secretion or juice.  The largest gland in the body is the liver which secretes bile or gall, a juice which  aids digestion.  Smaller glands in the cheeks and under the tongue  secrete saliva which has a similar function.  Tear glands give off tears which moisten and cleanse the eyeball.  Other glands, instead of pouring their secretions out where they can be seen, send their product directly into the blood.  For instance, the thyroid gland located in the front of the neck makes a secretion which his absorbed by the blood and which plays an important part in development.

     Other important glands are the ovaries in the woman and the testes in the man.  These glands belong to the sex and reproductive organs of man and woman.  The secretion from the ovaries is absorbed by the blood and carried to all parts of the body.  It causes the girls breasts to enlarge, her figure to develop.  It adds a lustre to her hair, a sparkle to her eye.  It makes her brain clear and active.  In short it changes her from the awkward girl of 12 or 13 into a bright, attractive young woman.  The secretion from the boy's sex glands give tone to muscles, power to his brain, and vitality to his nerves.  The sex glands are necessary for the development of manhood and womanhood.