GONADS AND THE PITUITARY BODY 



than I hour after coitus. It therefore appears that the hbera- 

 tion of the hormone responsible for ovulation takes place 

 with considerable rapidity. Dumont, D'Amour, and Gustav- 

 son (1932, 1934) injected serum or defibrinated blood, taken 

 from adult female rabbits 1-2 hours after copulation, intra- 

 peritoneally or intravenously into young rabbits (12-18 

 weeks old). In only one case was ovulation produced; the 

 other positive results were characterized by follicular growth 

 or hemorrhagic corpora lutea (five of twelve immature rab- 

 bits receiving 60-100 cc. of blood; eleven of eighteen imma- 

 ture rabbits receiving 200-350 cc. of blood given by alter- 

 nately bleeding and injecting the recipients). It is unfor- 

 tunate that the investigators did not observe the production 

 of ovulation in the more sensitive adult rabbit in oestrus. 

 This was done by McPhail, Parkes, and White (1933) who 

 performed cross-circulation experiments between adult fe- 

 male rabbits, one being in oestrus, the other having copulated 

 shortly before. The blood was cross-circulated for 2-3 hours; 

 the rabbits were then permitted to live about 20 hours longer. 

 Ovulation was usually produced in the normal rabbit in 

 oestrus provided that two of the animals' four ovaries had 

 been removed before the cross-circulation was begun. 



Not much is known as to how copulation gives rise to a 

 liberation of the anterior pituitary hormone causing ovula- 

 tion. Stimulation of the central nervous system, if powerful 

 and diffuse (electrical), may cause ovulation (Marshall and 

 Verney, 1935). However, the removal of the whole genital 

 tract (except the lower portion of the vagina), as well as the 

 anesthesia of the vulva and vagina locally, do not prevent 

 ovulation after coitus (Friedman, 1929; Fee and Parkes, 

 1930). According to Haterius (1934), the electrical stimula- 

 tion of the superior cervical ganglion is not followed by ovu- 

 lation. In the author's experience, repeated intravenous in- 

 jections of epinephrin or acetyl choline do not bring about 

 ovulation. Foster, Haney, and Hisaw (1934) were unable to 



[135] 



