STUDIES IN THE PHYSIOLOGY OF 

 SPERMATOZOA. 1 



EDWIN J. CORN. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Page. 



I. Introduction 168 



Material and Methods 168 



Sea Water as Environment 170 



II. Environmental Conditions that Effect the Activity of Spermatozoa. . . 172 



Temperature 173 



Hydrogen Ion Concentration 174 



Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Concentration 175 



III. The Relation between the Activity and the Longevity of Spermatozoa. 177 



The Measurement of the Total Carbon-Dioxide Production of Sperm 

 Suspensions of Different Concentration 179 



IV. The Effect of the Concentration of the Sperm Suspension upon the 



Activity and upon the Longevity of Spermatozoa 184 



V. The Relation between the Length of Life of a Concentrated Sperm 

 Suspension and the Rate at which the Carbon Dioxide Produced 



by the Sperm is Eliminated 184 



Decreasing the Rate of Diffusion of Carbon Dioxide 185 



Increasing the Rate of Diffusion of Carbon Dioxide 185 



Increasing the Rate of Neutralization of Carbon Dioxide 185 



VI. The Effect of the Hydrogen Ion Concentration of the Suspension upon 



the Activity and upon the Longevity of Spermatozoa 189 



VII. The Relation between the Activity and the Fertilizing Power of Sperm- 

 atozoa 192 



The Effect of the Hydrogen Ion Concentration upon the Fertilizing 



Power of Spermatozoa 193 



The Effect of the Sperm Concentration upon the Fertilizing Power 



of Spermatozoa 195 



VIII. The Effect of the Carbon Dioxide Concentration upon the Activity 



and upon the Longevity of Spermatozoa 198 



IX. The Effect of the Oxygen Concentration upon the Activity and upon the 



Longevity of Spermatozoa 200 



X. The Effect of Beef Broth upon the Activity and upon the Longevity of 



Spermatozoa 202 



XI. The Effect of "Egg Water" upon the Activity and upon the Longevity 



of Spermatozoa 203 



XII. Summary 212 



1 From the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and the 

 Hull Zoological Laboratory, The University of Chicago. 



I6 7 



