THE FUNCTION OF (ESTRIN 129 



basis. Allen was inducing that type of menstruation which is 

 found in non-ovulating monkeys and humans, and which has 

 been show^n by Corner (126) to be entirely independent of the 

 true pre-menstrual congestion of the uterus. 



(Estyi)i and the mammary gland. Some evidence has been 

 brought forward in support of the view that prolonged injection 

 of oestrin will cause complete development of the mammary 

 glands. The development of the mammary gland in castrated 

 male guinea-pigs feminized by an ovarian graft (see p. 78) is 

 sometimes interpreted as being due to the action of cestrin 

 derived from the graft. The condition produced in the cast- 

 rated male has been likened by Lipschiitz (371) to prolonged 

 oestrus, but, even if no organized corpora lutea occur in the 

 graft, lutein cells are undoubtedly formed by the atretic 

 follicles of the graft (see p. 76), and it is impossible, therefore, 

 to exclude the possibility of luteal activity. 



Mammary growth has occasionally been reported as accom- 

 panying abnormal persistence of oestrus in polyoestrous animals. 

 Thus Courrier (136) has described a guinea-pig in w^hich nympho- 

 mania, accompanied by cystic ovaries and prolonged cornifica- 

 tion of the vagina, was associated with development of the 

 mammary gland. There is no evidence, however, that the 

 development was equal to that of pregnancy. Probably an 

 exaggeration of the oestrous development of the glands, which 

 is considerable in the guinea-pig, had occurred. 



Very early in the course of work on ovarian extracts it was 

 reported that their injection would produce hypertrophy of 

 the mammary tissue in the ovariectomized or immature 

 rabbit. Since there can be little doubt that all the early 

 extracts of ovary contained only the oestrus-producing 

 substance as the active principle, this finding seems to suggest 

 some connection between the oestrus-producing hormone and 

 the mammary gland. Herrmann (291) and Fellner (192) 

 originally reported the effect in the ovariectomized female 

 and castrated male rabbit, and quite recently Vintemberger 

 (624) has confirmed this result. Aschner (41), Frank and 

 Rosenbloom (231), and Loewe (407) have all reported similar 

 effects in various animals. According to Hartman, Dupre, and 

 Allen (279) the reaction of the mammary tissue to oestrin in the 



P.S.O. I 



