Disintegration of Epididymal Spermatozoa by Application of Ice to the Scrotal Testis

Testes of rabbits were cooled with ice applied to the scrotum for 10 min. Disintegrated spermatozoa (95-24 %) appeared in the ejaculates 24 hr. after treatment. Morphological disintegration takes a few hours but physiological deterioration appears rather more quickly. The proportion of disintegrated spermatozoa depends on the duration of treatment. The occurrence of disintegrated sperms in the ejaculate lasted about 10 days, depending on the rate of evacuation of disintegrated sperms from the cauda epididymis. There was no adverse effect of ice treatment on sex drive and spermatogenesis. The testes of rabbits, rats and guinea-pigs were treated with ice for 10-20 min. About 20-30 % of disintegrated sperms was found in the cauda epididymis of rabbits and rats but not in guinea-pigs.