THE DISTRIBUTION PATTERN OF THE PANCREATIC ISLET VOLUME IN NORMAL AND HYPERGLYCAEMIC MICE

ABSTRACT The actual size distribution of the islets of Langerhans was studied both in normal mice and in mice with two different varieties of the obesehyperglycaemic syndrome. Symmetrical curves were obtained in all cases for the relation between the total islet volume and the islet diameter; the larger the total islet volume the greater the islet diameter corresponding to the maxima in these curves. There is also a regular arrangement of the islet organ in the hyperglycaemic animals even though the total islet volume in one of these two strains was almost 10 times as large as in their unaffected litter mates.