142 



WALTER LAWREN'CE. 



ination was found to contain many motile spermatozoa, mixed 

 with exudate from the seminal vesicles. 



As a result of this series of observations it becomes apparent 

 that the degenerating products of the seminiferous tubules due 

 to abdominal retention are removed chiefly by way of the blood 

 stream. My study leaves little doubt that a great deal of 

 cytolysis goes on in the early stages of degeneration in the 

 seminiferous tubules, and it is highly probable that these materials 

 are removed from the testis by the circulation; but it is also 

 apparent that a great deal of the degenerating material is trans- 

 ported to the epididymis. Since the tubules of the testis are 

 cleared by the 2Oth day, and many times earlier, and since the 

 epididymis, even with its vas normally open, contains much of 

 its normal sperm content it is clear that the degenerating cells 

 are not removed from the epididymis through the vas in any 

 considerable amount. Indeed it is not apparent that the 

 majority of the spermatozoa contained within the epididymis 

 are so removed. My material leads me to believe that practically 

 all the degenerating products from the seminiferous tubules are 

 liquefied and absorbed in the blood stream, either from the 

 testis proper, or the epididymis, and that a large part of the 

 spermatozoa in the epididymis are likewise liquefied and absorbed. 



C. THE VITALITY OF SPERMATOZOA. 



The question of the. vitality of spermatozoa has been long 

 debated, and extensive investigations have been made to deter- 

 mine just how long spermatozoa will live in the uterus; less 

 attention, however, has been paid to the life of the sperm in the 

 male genital passages. De Lee ('21, p. 21) states that human 

 spermatozoa will live for 21 days in the human uterus. Nurn- 

 burger ('20) claims to have kept human spermatozoa alive in 

 the laboratory for seven or eight days. Hoehne and Behne 

 ('14) claim to have demonstrated that all sperm die in the 

 human vagina in one and a quarter hours, and that in the uterus 

 no live sperm may be found after three days. Lewis ('n) bred 

 20 sows to boars which were known to be fertile, after which 

 the sows were slaughtered and the uteri examined. He states: 

 "In only two cases were sperm found alive 24 hours after 



