CHAPTER VIII 1 

 THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF THE SEXUAL ORGANS 



" Nous sommes dans un de ces chateaux des legendes allemandes oil les 

 murs sont formes de uiilliers de fioles qui contiennent les ames des hommes 

 qui vont nattre. Nous sommes dans le sejour de la vie qui pi ecede la vie." 

 M. \KTKRLIXCK, Let Vic des Abeilles. 



THE FEMALE GENERATIVE ORGANS 

 Mammals 



IN Mammals very little is known concerning the chemistry of the 

 female generative organs. The difficulty experienced in obtaining 

 material has rendered impossible a chemical investigation of the ovum 

 itself. The fluid contained in the Graafian follicles of the cow is 

 stated to be of a serous nature. From the corpora lutea of the same 

 animal amorphous and crystalline pigments have been isolated, both 

 of which belong to the class of substances called lipochromes or 

 luteins. 2 These pigments are also found in other sites, e.g. in adipose 

 tissue, in serum, in the retina, and in milk. Similar pigment 

 substances have been isolated from plants. In fact, the later work 

 of Escher 3 has shown that the crystalline pigment obtained from the 

 corpora lutea is a hydrocarbon of the formula C^Hgg and is identical 

 with the pigment carotin 4 obtained from plants. The luteins are not 

 related to blood pigment, and although hiematoidin may be found in 

 corpora lutea, especially when they are fresh, the existence of the 

 luteins appears to be quite independent of the presence of blood 

 pigments. The luteins contain carbon and hydrogen and have a 

 yellowish or reddish colour. Exposed to light they undergo oxidation. 

 They are soluble in alcohol, ether, and chloroform, and in that respect 

 resemble fats, from which they differ, however, in their resistance 

 towards alkalis. With strong nitric acid and sulphuric acid they 



1 By William Cramer. 



- Piccolo and Lieben, "Studi nel corpo luteo della vacca," Giorn. AV. Xiitur. 

 ed Econ., vol. ii., 1866. Kiihne and Ayres, "On the Stable Colours of the 

 Retina," Jour, of l'hi/*iol., vol. i., 1878. 



3 Escher, " ( T ber den Farbstoff des Corpus luteum," Zeit *<!<. f. />/>//.<//. ('/,>,.. 

 vol. Ixxxiii., 1912. 



4 Willstatter, chapter on "Chlorophyll" in Abderhalden's Biochemi&chet 



, vol. vi., 1911. 



