EFFECTS ON THE FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT 397 



der Mast vergrosserte sich der Fettkorper erheblich, wahrend sich der Eierstock 

 niemals sehr betrachtlich verkleinert." 



L. Loeb ('17, '17a, '21) by underfeeding produced a "hypotypical" condition 

 of the ovaries in guinea pigs, with retardation and regression in follicular develop- 

 ment. The effects usually appear more marked in the younger animals, with 

 smaller body weight. The epithelial elements (granulosa) are primarily 

 affected, the smallest follicles being the most resistant. The connective tissue 

 is more resistant, although in some cases two or more follicles may fuse through 

 absorption of the perifollicular tissue. During follicular atresia, the ovum may 

 undergo irregular segmentation. The rate of mitosis in the granulosa cells in 

 the "hypotypical" ovary may remain nearly normal (Walsh). 



McCarrison ('19, '21) in starved pigeons found a marked atrophy in the 

 ovaries which lost in weight relatively about twice as much as the whole body. 



Papanicolaou and Stockard ('20, '22) found that underfeeding (20 g. of 

 carrots daily) in guinea pigs "produces a prolongation of the dioestrum and, 

 at the same time, a congestion of the ovary and uterus and a degeneration of 

 the graafian follicles." The result varies in different periods of the cycle. 

 Shortly after ovulation, the small primary follicles are more resistant than the 

 large graafian follicles which develop in the later stages of the dioestrum. 



Champy ('21) claimed that in Triton alpestris two males were reduced to a 

 sexually neutral condition by starvation. Upon refeeding, one presented, in 

 thej>lace of the testes, fatty bands including scattered spermatogonia; the other, 

 killed 3 months later, had ovaries lying medial to the degenerated testes. 



Evans and Bishop ('22) have shown that in the albino rat general under- 

 feeding (Fig. 34), as well as various special dietary deficiencies, result in delayed 

 estrus and disturbances of the ovulation rythm. Moehl ('22) observed some- 

 what similar effects in underfed cattle. 



In the leopard frog (Rana pipiens), Ott ('24) found relatively slight decrease 

 in the weight of the ovaries during hibernation and subsequent inanition, up to 

 a loss of 20 per cent in body weight. In later stages, with body loss of 30-50 

 per cent, the ovaries lost relatively more (89-95 P er cent), as shown in 

 Table 6. 



Hibernation and Seasonal Changes. — The most remarkable instance is the 

 well-known case of the salmon, which fasts for some months during its migration 

 from the sea up the rivers to the spawning grounds. During this period there is 

 an enormous growth of the ovaries and testes, the materials for which are derived 

 by atrophy and resportion of other tissues, especially of the trunk muscles. 

 This process was described by Miescher ('80, '97) for the Rhine salmon, by 

 Paton (Gillespie) ('98) for the British salmon, and by Stone ('97) and Greene 

 ('10) for the Pacific salmon. In the Rhine salmon, the ovaries during this 

 fasting period are said to increase from 0.4 per cent to about 27 per cent of the 

 body weight. 



Gaule ('01) studied the seasonal variation in the weight of the ovaries, 

 concluding that in Rana esculenta, as in the salmon, during inanition or hiberna- 

 tion other organs may be to some extent sacrificed to build up the sex-glands. 

 This was confirmed by Gerhartz ('06), who concluded that the phenomenon 



