Pineal gland calcification (PGC) in Ugandans. A radiological study of 200 isolated pineal glands

Abstract

Two hundred formalin-fixed pineal glands from consecutive unselected post-mortems on Ugandan Africans have been X-rayed. The degree of pineal gland calcification has been divided into four stages and it is shown that 43 per cent of all pineal glands after the age of ten years are likely to be detected in an ordinary skull X ray. This high percentage of calcification contrasts with the previously reported low figure from races other than whites. The pineal glands from females were more often calcified and heavier than those from males; however, the stalks of pineal glands from males were calcified more frequently than those of females. The average weight per decade was almost constant. In Ugandan Africans the pineal glands were significantly lighter than in Caucasians, and a possible reason for this is briefly discussed.