This Gland is Your Gland Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pancreas

That was an easy starter wasn't it? Before synthetic human insulin and human insulin from genetically modified bacteria was available, most insulin originated from slaughterhouses, thus there were pork insulin and beef insulin.

Answer: Atop each kidney

Epinephrine is also called adrenalin. Both of these words refer to "above the kidney." Since we have described the adrenal glands, they are, indeed, located above the kidney. (Yeah, that was a little tricky, unless, of course, you knew the answer.

Answer: On each side of the neck

This one you had to know a few things. It is the parathyroid glands, typically surrounded by the thyroid gland that regulate these minerals. The thyroid gland has lobes on each side of the neck. There are parathyroid glands in each lobe. (I can be brutal, unless of course, you knew the answer.)

Answer: High serum levels of insulin

Adult-onset diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes) is typically a problem with insulin-receptors. As working insulin-receptors in the cell membranes decrease in number, the pancreas is stimulated to release more insulin, thus, most adult-onset diabetics have high insulin levels at the time of diagnosis. Eventually the insulin producing cells may give out, but that often takes years if it happens at all.

Answer: Iodine

Of course, you wouldn't be alive without calcium, but the thyroid requires iodine to make thryoxine, which in turn, has marked effects on the body's metabolism and mood.

Answer: Sudoriferous glands

It would have been a bit too easy if I had said "sweat glands" but that is what sudoriferous glands are. I'm not so sure that underarm perspiration is generally regarded as particularly sexy and the other glands do not exist.

Answer: Pituitary

Human Growth Hormone is fairly expensive and demand is rising as people continue to search for the "fountain of youth" or the next season home-run record in baseball. It can be detected with blood tests now, so maybe some athletic associations will require such testing.

Answer: Pituitary

That pituitary gland does a lot of stuff. It also regulates the production of hormones in a variety of other glands. In this case, the pituitary's release of prolactin is regulated by the hypothalamus. Both are fascinating little bits of tissue.

Answer: PREgnant MARe's urINe

Yes, indeedy! Wyeth Labs found a rich source for a variety of estrogen compounds in roughly the same mix that human female's tend to have. Don't worry, it's all dried and purified. No doubt, this was a wonderful thing, but their marketing department surely could have found a more inspiring name.

Answer: Adrenalin or Adrenaline

Adrenalin comes from the Latin ad- (on) renes (kidney)
Epinephrine comes from the Greek epi- (above) nephros (kidney)

In either case, the hormone is named for the location of its source. A rose is a rose...