INTERNAL SECRETION OF OVARY 231 



What will be now the condition of the organism in such 

 circumstances ? This question was examined by Bouin, Ancel 

 and Villemin. They irradiated rabbits several times; two to 

 four weeks after the last irradiation the animals were killed. 

 They describe a marked atrophy on the part of the uterus and 

 the tubes, the vagina, and the clitoris, as well as the mammary 

 glands. No corpora lutea were present in the ovaries, an 

 almost complete atresia of the follicles took place, whereas the 

 interstitial tissue persisted. The authors concluded from 

 these experiments that an atrophy of the genital organs can 

 be checked only by the corpus luteum, and that there was no 

 participation of the interstitial tissue in the endocrine function 

 of the ovary.^ [Later on the authors came to another con- 

 clusion; seep. 259.] 



We shall show in the following sections of this chapter that 

 this conclusion was erroneous, and it may be pointed out 

 here that puberal development of the uterus in the rabbit can 

 take place before any corpus luteum has developed in the 

 ovary. Indeed, Bouin seems to have been one of the first to 

 call attention to the fact that, before sexual intercourse, there 

 is often no development of a corpus luteum in the ovary. 

 In a virgin rabbit of about 18 months old we found no corpus 

 luteum in the ovary; nevertheless, the uterus was normal. 



That the conclusion of the French authors in regard to the 

 exclusive dependence of the sexual characters on the corpus 

 luteum is not justified, is shown especially by the experiments 

 of Steinach and Holzknecht. They irradiated guinea pigs two 

 to four weeks old, exposing the back once to about 12 " Holz- 

 knecht-units." As already mentioned, by exposing the 

 ventral side to X-rays, a complete destruction of both follicles 

 and interstitial tissue took place ; the animals showed signs of 

 castration effects. On the contrary, the animals irradiated on 

 the back showed about eight weeks after the irradiation a 

 marked increase in the nipples. The area surrounding the 

 nipple was rounded and shiny; mammary glands could be felt. 

 Even milk secretion was observed for two or three weeks. 

 The microscopical examination of the mammary gland of such 

 an irradiated virgin animal revealed a condition similar to that 



^An atrophy of the cHtoris after castration is not very probable. In 

 castrated rabbits I never could find macroscopically any changes in the 

 region of the clitoris. 



