Hi all,
I need assistance to identify the following 2 glands. They were harvested from mature pigs at a slaughterhouse. Because I did not witness the dissection, I don't know precisely where they came from. I know they came from the neck near where the thyroid gland is supposed to be, but not the precise location. (i.e. what was on top of what) I am specifically looking to identify the thyroid gland, but neither candidate has the classic butterfly shape that is cited in the literature. It could be because they are not whole. Care was not taken to preserve their shape.
Gland #1 has a hard consistency. It feels almost like a thick rubber, spongy, but still noticeably stiff. Gland #2 is very soft. Even when frozen it retains a very squishy texture.
My questions if you can help:
1. Which one of these (if either) is the thyroid gland?
2. Can you identify the gland(s) that is not the thyroid gland?
Thanks for any assistance, and wishing all of you the best in 2020.
[redacted by Kevin Blighe]