CxONADOTROPHIC STIMULATION OF 



THE OVARIES OF THE ADULT 



RHESUS MONKEY 



SINCE SMITH in 1926 and Aschheim and Zondek about the same time dis- 

 covered the gonadotrophic function of the mammalian anterior pituitary 

 gland (a logical sequence to Smith's epoch-making work, done in California, 

 on the primacy of the anterior pituitary in the tadpole), a deluge of literature 

 on the pituitary-gonad relation has appeared. Some idea of the researches in 

 this field may be gained by a perusal of volume 1 1 of Memoirs of the Univer- 

 sity of California (1932) on "The Growth and Gonad-stimulating Hormones 

 of the Anterior Lobe of the Hypophysis" by H. M. Evans and co-workers. The 

 progiess since that date may further be gauged by comparing the 1939 and 

 the 1932 editions of E. Allen's compilation, "Sex and Internal Secretions." 



When one surveys the literature on the gonadotrophic action of anterior 

 pituitary extracts one is struck with the paucity of references to ovulation, 

 barring, of course, studies on the Friedman test as performed on that aberrant 

 mammal, the rabbit, which has more than once in the last hundred years 

 brought temporary confusion into biological studies. A review cannot be 

 made here even of the few studies devoted to ovulation in mammals,' but 

 some of the more important references are given in the literature list below. 



Ovulation is still too uncertain an end point to be serviceable in assaying 

 an unknown extract for its gonadotrophic value. This is due to individual 

 as well as strain differences of susceptibility within a species and to very wide 

 differences between species. This is especially marked with respect to human 

 urine of pregnancy (PU), less so with pregnant mare's serum (PMS), and least 

 of all with follicle-stimidating hormone (FSH) made from the gland itself. 



Thus far no one has been consistently successful in producing ovulation 

 in the adult rhesus monkey. Hisaw and collaborators' brought about OAula- 

 tion in young animals but the gonadotropes suitable for ovulation in adult 

 females have, so far as the writer is aware, not yet been found. Almost without 

 exception a diffuse overstimulation of the ovaries has been produced with 

 gonadotropes, but never an ovulation, except for the several reported by the 

 writer in 1938. 



After the preliminary demonstration of induced ovulation in prepubertal 

 rats by means of anterior pituitary transplants'* search was made for the active 

 principle or principles responsible for the action of the pituitary on the 

 gonads, notably in the laboratories of Hisaw and Fevold, of Evans, and of 

 Van Dyke. This interesting story has often been told and will not be re- 

 peated here; suffice it to say that the dualistic theory, despite its difficulties, is 

 still in the ascendency. By fractional precipitation it has been possible to re- 

 move from crude anterior pituitary extracts, in a highly purified state, one 



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