THE PITUITARY BODY 



section dealing with the comparative physiology of the 

 gonadotropic hormone(s). 



In the rat, spontaneous deciduomata,^'* unrelated to any 

 known injury, have been found after the single injection of an 

 anterior-pituitary (ox?) extract (Innes and Bellerby, 1929). 

 Teel (1926), as well as Brouha (1928) and Shelesnyak (1931, 

 1933) have caused the formation of typical deciduomata in 

 the rat's uterus by producing the irritative lesion (threading 

 of the uterus) 5-9 days after the administration of an extract 

 of the ox pituitary (adult rats) or after the administration of 

 homoplastic implants and ox pituitary extract or of oestrin 

 and ox pituitary extract (immature rats). In both cases, lute- 

 inization of the ovaries and the liberation of corpus luteum 

 hormone, essential for the reaction, occurred. 



The gonadotropic hormone{s) and pregnancy . — The gonado- 

 tropic potency of the anterior lobe of pregnant women and 

 mares (Catchpole and Lyons, 1934) is reduced in comparison 

 with the normal; there perhaps is a causal relation between 

 this finding and the fact that the body-fluids of pregnant 

 women and mares — unlike other animals — may also contain 

 large amounts of "oestrin." Although the literature contains 

 discrepancies, there probably is no reduction in the concen- 

 tration or total amount of gonadotropic hormone in the pars 

 glandularis of the pregnant cow, pig, rabbit, and rat; reports 

 that the pituitary of these animals, if pregnant, contains a 

 decreased amount of gonadotropic hormone are about bal- 

 anced by reports to the contrary. ^s 



Changes in the pregnant mouse, rat, guinea pig, and rab- 

 bit, due to the administration of gonadotropic hormone, have 

 likewise been studied. Ovulation can be produced in the 

 pregnant mouse; the corpora lutea subsequently formed are 



5'' The formation of this tumor-like growth requires the internal secretions of both 

 the follicle and the corpus luteum. 



ss Evans and Simpson (1929); Bacon (1930); Ehrhardt and Mayes (1930); 

 Zondek (193 1); Magistris (1932); and Siegert (1933). 



f 162I 



