Open AccessStudies on the hypophysectomised ferret. II. - Spermatogenesis
Author(s) -
Margaret Hill,
A. S. Parkes
Publication year - 1932
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society of london. series b, containing papers of a biological character
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-9185
pISSN - 0950-1193
DOI - 10.1098/rspb.1932.0083
Subject(s) - hypophysectomy , atrophy , spermatogenesis , medicine , endocrinology , biology , body weight , pituitary gland , hormone
Smith (1930) has shown that all parts of the reproductive tract of the male rat show pronounced atrophy after hypophysectomy. The testes are much reduced in size and are flabby. The seminiferous tubules show a corresponding diminution in size and all indications of spermatogenesis are absent. A more immediate effect of ablation of the pituitary gland is a complete loss of interest in the female. Richter and Wislocki (1930) also noted atrophy of the male genital organs of the rat after hypophysectomy, but in no great detail. Hypophysectomy has not yet been performed on a species in which the male shows a clear cut anœstrous period such as is found in the male ferret (Allanson, 1932). The present work was undertaken to find out if the testes of the ferret react to hypophysectomy in the same way as those of the rat, and to compare the resulting condition of the testes with that found during anœstrus. Further light on the activity of the pituitary body during anœstrus might thus be obtained. In addition, it was hoped to determine the rate of regression after hypophysectomy and to compare this with that found at the end of the breeding season. No attempt will be made in this or the following paper to deal with the general effects of hypophysectomy, but it may be mentioned that loss of body weight, if any, was slight during the time covered by these experiments.